From Luton to Florida – A Journey Across Continents

Jayshri Patel’s story begins in Luton, England — where food in her childhood was simple: meat, vegetables, and potatoes. Life has since taken her across the Atlantic to Orlando, Florida, where she raised her two sons, now 31 and 35 years old.

French Fries & Orange Juice – Cravings That Marked Milestones

Her pregnancies were shaped by different cravings — salty French fries for the first, refreshing orange juice for the second. With her husband and friends close by, Jayshri managed without nearby family, though she often wished her parents could have been there day-to-day.

From Office Desk to Kitchen Counter

She worked through both pregnancies, but after her second child, Jayshri decided to stay home. Frequent visits between Orlando and her family meant her boys grew up with the taste of grandma’s cooking — a thread of home woven into their American childhood.

Steamed Veggies, Fruit Purees, and a Little Store-Bought Help

Her children’s early diets were a mix of homemade goodness — steamed vegetables, pureed fruits — and occasional jars of baby food. While her vegetarian parents believed in plant-based proteins, Jayshri added meat for variety, keeping a balance between tradition and practicality.

Parenting in the US – A Little More Isolated, A Lot More Structured

Raising children in the US, Jayshri noticed a few stark differences from India:

Families in the US often feel more isolated unless relatives live nearby.
Indian meal schedules are stricter, while American routines shift with work demands.
Playtime in the US comes with more choices — but less free-roaming freedom.
American workplaces push for work-life balance, making family time more deliberate.

Daycare is common in the US, while joint families in India make it almost unnecessary.

Keeping Indian Food on the Table in a Changing World

She always aimed for a balanced diet, but once school started, peer influence pulled her children toward American foods. Her solution? Creativity. She reinvented Indian dishes to keep them appealing — proof that dal and pav bhaji can hold their own against pizza.

Once-a-Week Eating Out – By Choice, Not by Rule

Eating out was a weekly treat, but home-cooked meals ruled the week. Today, her sons’ favourite foods range from dal, bhaat, and khichdi to butter chicken, kebabs, pav bhaji, and fish curry — a mix of comfort classics and indulgent favourites.

Teaching Her Sons the Art of Cooking

Not Vegetarian, But Always Experimenting

Whether in her kitchen or their grandmother’s, Jayshri made sure her boys learned basic cooking skills early. Now as adults, they can adapt recipes to their tastes — and avoid living off frozen dinners or takeout menus.

While her family isn’t strictly vegetarian, they’ve experimented with it at different stages. Jayshri kept her boys vegetarian in their early years, later giving them the freedom to decide. Today, they “play” with vegetarian dishes to fit their tastes, blending tradition with flexibility.