After three months in Canada, Indu Devadas was relieved to find familiar spices and ingredients.
When Indu Devadas visited Timmins three months ago, she didn’t know exactly what she was going to do.
Having traveled halfway around the world from her home in Kerala, South India, she wondered if something as simple as familiar spices and ingredients could be available.
“When I came here, I was a little confused. I didn’t know if I could get Indian goods,” Devadas said of her recent move. “I was relieved to see something familiar at the grocery store here.”
Cooking has been an important part of Devadas’ life since she was a child, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, she began sharing her cooking with the world on her Instagram account, Flavors of Indu. Got 8500 followers.
“It all started as a pastime, but the response I got after uploading the photos was really encouraging,” says Devadas.
She says her connection with food began when she saw her father cooking dinner as a child.
“My mother was a nurse, and my father cooked when I worked the night shift. “For me, food is the language of love.”
Her husband has a penchant for food from other parts of his home country, so that love expanded her culinary world and she began exploring other kinds of flavors and cuisines through his tastes.
“My husband loves North Indian food, so I researched different Indian dishes,” says Devadas. “My family started giving me feedback on my culinary experiments and they loved it.”
She believes food is a universal way to bring people together from all walks of life.
“When we celebrate a special family event, such as a festival, birthday, or wedding, we see the people we love gathering in the kitchen to bond, cook delicious food, and enjoy eating together. It’s nice to see,” she says. “When you think of Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays, what do you think of? Food. Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, birthday girlfriend cake are all meaningful parts of celebrating through food.”
Devadas says the pandemic shaped her online sharing experience, which began as a way to find fun during lockdown.
She was working as an assistant professor when the area nursery school closed, but had to give up that job to care for her young daughter.
“At the time, I started an Instagram account as a hobby,” she says. She said, “I took pictures of the food I made.”
Now that she’s moved to Timmins, she continues her culinary journey and education.
Most of her followers are from India, so much of her content is focused on Indian food, but she also wants her Canadian followers to enjoy the meals she creates, and in her posts We share personal stories and connections.
It’s been three months since I came to the city, and I’m experiencing my first snowy winter.
“It was and still is exciting, but at the same time, it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced cold weather, so it’s a bit challenging,” she says of her new home. No, but we plan to explore it in the near future.”
As she explores, she continues to share new foods and new experiments with her followers.
“Food is an important part of cultural heritage and national identity. Food connects people on many levels,” she says. “Food is a universal part of every culture.”
