Session 1 / Playlist

The Lesser Violence Reading Group ‘20

Shared by Keval Harie

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Hi all,

This has been a lot harder than I initially imagined. 

Before I get to my playlist, I wanted to share with you some reflections which have informed my selection process.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I love cooking and baking. It grounds me and creating meals fills me with an innate sense of joy that is hard to explain in words. I’ve taken the time during lockdown to expand my knowledge and understanding of cooking and baking.  It’s particularly wonderful sharing my experiences in the kitchen with friends and family. What’s the trick to ensuring your start doesn’t flop? Is there a vegan option for this soup? What are the specific origins of a dish?

It’s also been a time of great nostalgia, which has helped in these unnerving times of COVID-19. One of my earliest memories of feeling loved is that of visiting my Ba’s home in Lenasia, and the distinct sweet smell of baking. My grandmother, like many Indian women of her generation, is an incredibly talented cook. It’s a skill she has passed on with great fervour to her children and grandchildren. She just instinctively knows flavours. It’s the kind of skill that allows her to make the best lamb curry, despite being a strict vegetarian herself. It’s also awe-inspiring to witness her skill in the kitchen, in making very complicated dishes appear easy to make – as if preparing them didn’t require years of experience and masterful abilities.

This brings me back to making jalebi. After my successes with sourdough, which was in some senses technically challenging, I thought how hard can it be to make jalebi? I wanted it to be a surprise for my family and so I sought assistance from the Internet. I opted for Ranveer Brar’s online recipe. I greatly enjoy watching Ranveer, whose recipes are mainly shared in Hindi. He also makes a point of sharing the history of the dish he is preparing (side eye Alison Roman et al). He’s also so bae that you can’t take your eyes off him (once again, I’m that gay). I also watched numerous other ‘aunty’ videos to get a sense of different techniques (oh, but the time lockdown offers you!).

So, I was equipped with my recipe and feeling super confident. I followed Ranveer step by step and loved the process. The goal of producing a dozen crunchy, sweet, syrupy jalebi was, by my own evaluation, a solid 50 percent. What I have learnt is to appreciate is just how damn hard it is to prepare dishes from within my culture, particularly because a lot of Desi cooking is based on instinct and years of experience. I could have watched a million videos on the ideal consistency of the jalebi batter and still not have gotten it right. It’s the kind of instinct that allows my grandmother to “effortlessly” whip up a meal that slays your taste buds.

But I think I need to check myself on this notion of effortlessness, which negates the skill, care and unbridled talent women in my family and culture demonstrate in every meal they prepare. A real shift in the politics of food is required; one that is inherently mindful. It’s the kind of acknowledgement that goes beyond expressing gratitude for a meal. It requires mindfulness around the labour involved in the production of the food, and its centrality in the health and well-being of humanity. This is a responsibility that has fallen to women, not always by their own choosing.

Ranveer has this series where he brings mothers on his shows to cook with him. I love watching those because I know these women, I grew up with them. It’s also why I enjoy watching past Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain’s show. There’s a mindfulness to the cooking practice of chefs like Nadiya, Ranveer, Samin Nosrat which perhaps helps to explain their growing followings.

I don’t think I will ever be as skilled or as talented as my Ba, mother and aunts in the kitchen, but I’m hoping to be a lot more mindful in acknowledging their remarkable talent and skill, as well as in my own cooking practice.

With this in mind, I’ve thus tried to create a playlist that in some sense reflects the strong feelings of memory, power and community that are reflected in food preparation. I think this also requires us to consider the violence of erasure in a history of food where the voices and contributions of countless women are never affirmed.

First up is a piece by Drag Queen LaWhore Vagistan on the ‘aunty’:

I found this piece really powerful in reflecting on both the duty and burden of care, and the complexity of the identity of the ‘aunty’ which I think many are familiar with.

I’ve been thinking a lot around the practice of food-making. I’m wondering if there’s a way of creating a space or discussion around the historical, political, economic and social elements that goes into cooking and the unavoidable considerations of gender that are necessary for us to create mindfulness around this? I’m also particularly interested in the nostalgia that is attached to food. I’ve chosen two pieces in this regard:

Please read Chapter 3 from the e-book above (Gender, Modernity & Indian Delights - The Women’s Cultural Group of Durban, 1954-2010). Also, please read (and if you like, try) the recipe below which is taken from the Indian Delights cookbook.

I’m also adding this musical/poetry rendition called Tiri Phawanda which is the musical rendition of a Sindhi poem in accordance with Sufi tradition. This rendition is by Harsakhiyan, which loosely translates to sisterhood. The poem speaks of love, longing and the hope of reunification:

There’s a behind the scenes video which I think also reflects the mindfulness that went into the production. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to find a video which contains subtitles for this:  

Ultimately, I was really struck by the deep sense of longing which I think we all have during this time of lockdown and separation, and also the way Harsakhiyan seem able to hold this sense in what feels like a chant. 

Kind regards,

Keval

Keval Harie

Keval Harie is an activist, writer and qualified attorney, who has always sought to put South Africa’s constitution at the centre of his career, using it to find new ways to promote social justice and human rights across the country.  As executive director at The GALA Queer Archive, Keval is most excited about the opportunity to connect the archives to new intersections of activism, particularly around gender identity and sexuality.