About
About Lébu Journal:
Lébu means lemon in the Indian language, Bengali. Lébu is my favourite ingredient, it is simple & yet it can alleviate any dish in my mind.
Lébu here means something basic, it means something simple, it means that the little things in life are worth it. Beauty lies in the small memories that we create. Life lies in the moments and it is not only important but necessary to savour those moments. A family meal on a holiday, with food made with love or a gathering of strangers in a city with food created to celebrate a shared culture or heritage. Or a meal created to celebrate ‘You’, it’s all life. And all of this is an effort to savour life a little more.Creating food for the joy of the process, the mess, as much as the texture , taking time to create home made meals or a feast. Romanticising ingredients, eating for happiness, cooking because it makes others happy. Traveling to a place with no itineraries, traveling to be part of the place instead of passing through, traveling not to reach a destination but a state. It’s all important. It’s life.
I am Pratyusha Sarkar and I am the author of this website & I am showcasing my own journey to ‘savour life’ , to ‘savour’ the little moments mainly through food , cooking & travel. I like the little things, I have a relationship with food where it satisfies my soul, leaves an impression way beyond the meal. You will see simple wholesome recipes which anyone can make, for I believe cooking should be relatable to everyone , you will see inspired recipes, you will see recipes inspired by my travels, it will always be with ingredients you can find locally or just as easily, if you don’t, I will always suggest something to replace it. But make it your own, food is a diaspora of cultures, place, people, why shouldn’t an everyday dish be? I am the kind of person who like to make something time consuming just because I like the sweat & work behind creating something which will disappear in a few hours, you will find it here too.
More than anything I believe in real food, food which nurtures you, food which leaves a memory. I love markets, I love the mess that the dough leaves after I make a pie. I love my spice tray , I love the way a curry boils over. I like the mess as much as I love a well laid table to celebrate life, I cook & eat to savour the simple things , I cook to savour life, I cook to see a smile on the faces of my friends & loved ones. You will find stories of simple gatherings. You can join in some of the gatherings where all we do is appreciate the food , really savour it, think of the beauty of the ingredients, the journey of creating something.
I like to travel curious, I travel not to complete my bucket list, I travel to create a relationship with the place. I travel, where I think I can be at home. For you can be still even when you are on the road. You will hopefully find inspiration to travel to a place and find something beyond the ‘must see’ & must do’ lists. You will find my wander guides where I focus on being ‘present’ , being in the here & now even when I am not ‘home’. You will find stories of my dwellings beyond ‘home’. If you’re someone who believes that ‘home’ is a just a state of mind, maybe you & I can be friends.
Have more questions? You can email me on lebujournal@gmail.com.
“One cannot think well, love well and sleep well if one has not dined well.”
