“The best memories are made around the table”
Food definitely makes the most important part of our memories. We connect most of our childhood memories through food. Sometimes the smallest things take us back to the carefree time of our childhood. It can be you cooking something and a particular smell of that food can make you think about your childhood. Mainly during the summer there are quite a few summer food that take us back to the time when summer meant vacation.
As per a psychological study, “Food memories are more sensory than other memories as they involve all five senses, so when you’re thoroughly engaged with the stimulus it has a more powerful effect.”
There are some summer food that put you in a time machine and take you back to your childhood and taking a bite of that food fills you with a plethora of emotions. When we talk about childhood and food the first thing that comes to our mind is the smells that erupted from our mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen.
Those were the simple classic meals served in the most simple but colorful cutlery. Though our mother’s insisted that we had veggies, most of our childhood summer food memories do not revolve around veggies.
Summer Food That Take Us Back To Childhood
Cotton Candy
Summer in childhood meant trips and fairs. And fairs certainly had cotton candy which we loved to address as ‘Buddhi Ke Baal’ was our favorite summer food. Though getting one involved a lot of pursuing in the form of crying, stomping feet and puppy eyes. Though reluctant, our parents still got us one and we had it in the most messiest way possible. But even today when we see a cotton candy stand we get a subtle smile on our face as we are taken back to that childhood when we had to pursue our parents for one and now we avoid it consciously for health purposes.
Badam Ka Halwa
Do you remember that before examination times when suddenly almonds became the most common food item in the house as they are believed to be memory sharpeners. Our mother’s took extra care and time to make ‘Badam ka halwa’ making those boring and bland almonds tasty. Well, that became our only motivation to keep studying when we could not go out to play with friends or watch TV. These days when you can order everything online, ordering badam ka halwa is not that tough just you need Gintaa food app.
Tahri
Summer vacations usually meant going to meet your maternal grandparents. Which means a huge family get together and a lot of fun with uncles and aunts as well as cousins. But this also means the smell of Indian spices cooked to perfection in the form of Tahri which is then served with pickle and papad. Even today when we smell tahri or take a bite of it we are transported to the time we had with our cousins at our maternal grandparents place.
Curd Rice
As the summer rolls by, none of us wish to eat something spicy everyday. That is when we settle for curd rice. Another summer food that takes us back to childhood when our mother’s forced us to have curd rice as it has a cooling effect on the body during the hot summer days. But, now nothing beats summer than a bowl of curd rice.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk or ‘Lassi’ is one of the most favorite summer food or drinks. Even today as the summer comes, having lassi is a must. And it certainly reminds you of childhood when you tried to make lassi for the first time all by yourself but it ended up to be a disaster. This might not be a good memory but is definitely a fun one.
Barf Ka Gola
From mango to kala khatta slurping on these forbidden barf ka gola certainly takes you back to school days when you could not pass by the stall without stopping to buy one. But it was certainly forbidden by our parents and all the scolding we got once we reached home was a different story but it makes a memorable story anyways.
Orange Stick Ice Cream
Do you still prefer orange stick ice cream over anything else? Well, there is no doubt that this particular ice cream stick has a lot of memories attached to it. It reminds us of the time when we begged our parents to get us one as it was the best way to beat the heat while returning from school. It would also act like a bribe when our fathers wanted us to keep something from our mothers. In short, even today when we buy orange stick ice cream we have a big smile on our face remembering all those beautiful childhood memories.
Lemonade
This is one summer food or drink that you cannot miss out on after a long day. Even if you return home when the sun has already set, a sip of the refreshing lemonade energizes you instantly. Lemonade also reminds you of your childhood when during the summer vacations you would crave for it after a long day with your friends. It was the first thing your mom gave you when you returned from school.
Let’s Wrap Up
The above list of summer food or drink may take us back to our childhood but there is nothing stopping us from enjoying them today as well. It is one of the best ways to spend your summer with your friends after a long day at work or during the weekends when you meet up with friends but the scorching heat compels you to stay in. These simple summer food or drinks can make your get together with friends worth it,
There is nothing like reminiscing about childhood with your friends mainly if they were also a part of it. Your weekend would be worth it when the stories of childhood and laughter flow.
