Food tells stories!
Badhan Sarkar, on behalf of Art & Life took the interview of talented and extremely successful Kolkata-based food blogger, Rajdeep Bhattacharjee who is a real example of how big food blogging really is.
Rajdeep Bhattacharjee has most definitely cemented himself amongst the elite of the food blogging world. Yet, he is so approachable and easy to talk to, that it was an absolute pleasure to hear what this enigmatic food writer had to say.
Why do you write about food?
If someone asks me why I write about food, I tell them that the most important thing we need in our life is passion for the soul. Everyone in this world has a different passion; games, cooking, music, architecture, politics – you can’t live without passion. The photographer takes the picture using his own sense and with passion comes energy. My mother cooked with heart – she always tried to keep us healthy and strong – this is a mother’s passion. I have put my passion into enjoying food and writing about it.
Today, we all look up restaurants, cuisines and food joints on Google or any blogs before we go out to eat. I love to post about food and the quality of the eateries so people can have an idea about the place.
When you want to become a Food Blogger and write about food, you need to have lot of qualities. But the most important is rigor.
How long have you been blogging?
More than 8 years. I started writing blogs eight and half year ago in blogspot.com which I had deleted in February’2015 and move on to my own domain http://www.gourmetstravelguide.com/. Then in 2017, I had another website www.am2pmfood.com along with my YouTube Channel Am2PmFood for my video blog. In 2018, I made another website for community food blogging, www.panchphoronindia.com. Any food blogger around the world can register there and post their food blog.
What would be your dream destination regarding food?
There is not just one dream destination; I would rather say a few i.e. Italy, France, Japan, China and Thailand.
Tell us about ‘Panchphoron’
In recent times, blogging about the things you are passionate about is the ‘in’ thing. Blogging goes to showcase your point of view to the world. Not only that, but the blog readers find it really helpful when said blog shares their interest. Food blogging is one such branch in the gigantic blogging tree. Food blogging can be of a number of different styles.
Panch Phoron is one such group of food bloggers. Five friends started this group as a part of their hobby and a passion for food. It is said that good food enriches one’s soul. The group of bloggers has been after this quest since their inception in 2015. Panch Phoron can also be defined as a group of food lovers and enthusiasts. They are out on a mission to explore the excellence of culinary skills of various restaurants and food joints. They mainly operate in the vicinity of eastern India but have their eyes set on national as well as global market.
Panch Phoron hold open food talks, food walks, meets and discussion sessions over the internet and in person. These meets usually always end up enriching the knowledge and passion for food to anyone involved. Reaching out and finding people with similar passion and love for food is what Panch Phoron strives for. And soon they hope to extend their outreach and be able to inspire more and more people to nurture the passion for food.
Panch Phoron promotes restaurants, events and food festivals through different social media and their blog. Their blog description also includes in-depth critique about food in those places. Panch Phoron runs their online group only with food bloggers. They are very particular about the fact that no lifestyle bloggers or fashion or recipe bloggers are allowed in. They are a group of food bloggers who love to eat food and love to write about it and reach out to the common mass with their gastronomical experiences.
You have been at many countries for Food Walk. Please share your story with us and which country based on food and culture, you liked the most?
Truly it has been an amazing journey for me as I got exposed to so many cultures and cuisines. I am constantly eating out and trying new things. What I try and do is take in the exciting world of food that I see out there. It's been a culinary education for me.
I have been to several countries for food walk and food tasting. But I believe Thai food is something very close to my heart. I have been to Thailand more than 20 times just to enjoy food, specially their authentic traditional curry.
Curry is true foods of occult India especially for the people of Eastern India. Many people believe that with Buddhism, curry also traveled to Thailand from India and later few ingredients replaced with local ones. But curry is something which binds two countries together with commoners’ food habit. Just like Indians, Thai people also enjoy their meal with curry and rice.
I enjoy consuming Red, Yellow and Green Thai curry with rice.
There is also one thing I’d like to add. Before eating I always check how aesthetically pleasing a plate is, i.e, what creates the mood when you see it for the first time. You experience the dish with your eyes before it even reaches your palate.
How do you strike a balance between running a food blog and having a full-time job?
Running a Food Blog with a full-time job may sound exciting, versatile and diversified but it’s extremely exhausting.
The secrets are – passion, continuity and craziness – therefore you will not found enough logic. But believe me, with proper time management it will not feel like a burden.
Make your goals very simple – enjoy food with the heart and everything you do has to be done with passion.