Eat, Pray, Love and Eat More!!! That’s precisely what we did on our weekend trip to Toronto, apart from hanging out with family. Food and family, what else do you need?

Well, that’s not entirely true because a trip to Toronto leaves me feeling rejuvenated. It’s like I get a breath of fresh air or an extra supply of oxygen that will keep me chugging along until my next city trip. There is something to be said about big cities. I was born and raised in a concrete jungle where the sounds of cars, police sirens or the mill were always around you. The only piece of sky you could see was through a tiny square on the window in between tall buildings. There are so many people all the time that you think the streets are empty when you see hundreds of people instead of thousands of people. There are different smells in a city, not all good – sewers, garbage and pee smells, too! Cities are, in some ways, more diverse because they are accessible to the homeless and the rich. So you may be in your luxury Mercedes, and a beggar will try to sell you something. Wherever you go, you cannot escape the human predicament.

And the amount of diversity – all sorts of people – fashionistas jostling shoulders with the conservative aunties. Interracial couples – young kids, older people – all sorts of people and different languages define the cities, and that’s what a part of me always craves. It’s like I live in an aquarium where everything is curated when I am made for the ocean. I have lived almost a decade in Columbus now and have come to admit that it will never be home for me. I also understand that there is a purpose for why I am here – the sooner that gets done, the sooner the universe will find a way out or not. Who knows! The reality is that I do love being in a big city – and for those of you who argue that Columbus is a city, my condolences. Surprisingly enough, it is easier for me to find solace when surrounded by nameless faces and sounds of life.

Going back to the Toronto trip – this is what a trip to the city does to me—a stark reminder of where I am and what I love. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the conveniences of living in a quiet place like Columbus, but it’s not native. I am a transported species here and not native. That sentence right there explains it all – you can bring another species to another flora and fauna, but it will always remain an imported species and never become a native one.

Food in Toronto is the best – especially if you know where to go! I remember London was a haven too – you can get whatever you are in the mood for and authentic. Believe me when I say I have had some of the best Indian food in London, hands down. I am grateful to be able to satiate my soul with these trips until I become one with the journey.

What do you do after you eat, pray and love?