If you are a Bengali, you know there are quite a few idiosyncrasies that come to people’s minds about our culture, specifically our food habits. For Arpan Roy, a Kolkata boy who moved to Singapore when he was 18, and a physicist by profession, these traits, combined with his love for his hometown and art, pushed him to start a Facebook page featuring quirky posts and doodles in 2016. The page today has an audience of over 350,000.
The popularity of the FB page, as well as his surging Instagram account, The Bongsense, has now led him to author a book, The Non-serious Guide To Bengali Food, released recently, to talk about Bengalis, their eccentricities and peculiarities, and their insatiable appetite for good food.
My Kolkata spoke with the author and illustrator to find out about his inspirations, his own bangaliana, how he conceptualises his unique content, and his loyal and growing community of followers online.
My Kolkata: Were art and illustrations something that always piqued your interest ?
Arpan Roy: Growing up in Kolkata, it is hard not to be interested in art. You are bombarded with the illustrations of Satyajit Ray, the comics of Tintin, Tinkle, Asterix and Obelix, and even Chacha Chaudhury. And drawing classes are, of course, an integral part of the curriculum. Later, I graduated to graphic novels like Watchmen, Persepolis and Maus. I wouldn’t be too interested in art by itself if not for how comics convey an idea effectively in a compact space.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I have always been more interested in writing humour, than in the art itself. I found that a break in the words in the form of a doodle or drawing helps the audience chuckle and continue reading. Hence the illustrations. When it comes to writing humour, my inspirations are Bill Bryson and Jeremy Clarkson.
How would you describe your art style?
I would describe it as efficient. Just a bit more evolved than stick figures! It is the most efficient way to convey an idea without going into intricacies. There is also the naivety of rough hand-drawn doodles that appeal to me, and my readers as well.
How did you conceptualise The Non-serious Guide To Bengali Food?
I was probing ideas on a good topic to test the market. Bengali food was a topic that had been brewing in my mind and notebook for a few years. It was not just about the food, but the origin of the food — something we take for granted. Hence, I put together a book about food that I, as a reader and food-lover, would like to read. However, I did not want it to be a traditional book with just text, which led to the frequent but pleasurable interruptions of illustrations.
Your book celebrates the typical Bengali sentiments attached to food. How would you describe your connection with Bengali food?
What I wanted to convey in the book was not just factual details about the food, but the emotions that come with it. For example, is any other community as sentimental about their Sunday mutton curry as Bengalis? And no one else would understand the simple pleasures of a kathi roll from the roadside. I am deeply connected to food, sometimes a little too much! Bengali food, for me, is an anchor to my childhood and a comfort in difficult times.
Your book takes the reader through a number of idiosyncrasies associated with Bengalis. Was that the intention of the book?
The intention of my book was to give an overview of Bengali food and eating habits — not as an academic exercise, but from a personal point of view. Although I heavily resist vegetarian food, I did have to succumb to the truth that vegetarian Bengali food is actually very delicious. I wanted to use the book as a time-capsule for food and eating habits in the late 20th century for Bengalis.
How much research did you do? What was the experience like?
One thing I realised while researching Bengali food is the surprisingly little amount of material there is on the internet. But, if you want to look for the recipe of what a Templar Knight ate during the Crusades, it is documented! My research, apart from Googling, was reading books about the origin of Indian and Bengali food. One thing I realised was that most of what we eat today — potatoes, chillies, biscuits, tea — would be completely alien to a ‘Bengali’ living in the 16th century. That someone, then, wasn’t aware of the potato’s existence just blew my mind.
What is your favourite Bengali dish?
My favourite Bengali dish would be a simple home-cooked mutton curry served over steaming rice, preferably the non-fancy sheddho chal (parboiled rice). The mutton curry should not be boneless (a sacrilege!) and should have a bone with the gooey, fatty marrow inside.
You were born and raised in Kolkata. What are your fondest memories of the city?
Kolkata is extremely pleasant during the winter and somehow the added pollution during that time diffuses the light to add an extra glow to sunsets and sunrise. Winter mornings and evenings in Kolkata are my fondest memories. Also, the city has all the relatives I have left behind for almost two decades.
What are your favourite things about the city?
I think it is the exposure to art and culture, which is missing in most cities of the world, unless you are in Paris or New York. Most cities are very functional and utilitarian, but growing up in Kolkata, by the time you leave school, you learn about the finer things in life as well. The fact that a lot of people would be able to recognise a Monet or Dali, have books by Chekhov at home and have discussions over Scorsese’s movies over dinner is something quite special about Kolkata.
Living in Singapore, how often do you visit Kolkata? Do you still enjoy the food?
I try to visit Kolkata once a year, at least, for a week. My favourite meals would be a mutton biryani from Shiraz or Arsalan (no where in the world I have eaten a biryani this good), some Chinese food at Tung Fong and perhaps a home-cooked meal at my relatives’ house. I also love walking around Park Street and seeing what books the street vendors are selling.
What, in your opinion, is Bangaliana?
Bangaliana is having an opinion about everything — something well thought-out and researched. A person, whose next day's earning may not be guaranteed, would instantly abandon everything to debate about if Murakami's books are worth their fame… or the influences of Kurosawa in modern movies. This kind of passion, about seemingly trivial things, is a unique trait of Bengalis.
Get your copy of The Non-serious Guide To Bengali Food here.