The author’s earliest memories as a child are those of being perched on his aunt, Tia Zanita’s hip or on the kitchen platform in his night clothes, patiently waiting for the first chapatti to be rolled out and fried for breakfast. He never really left the kitchen after breakfast, as he knew that Tia Zanita or Minha Mãe would leave their teacup on the table and begin grating the coconut into ‘chun’ in preparation for the day’s curry. Like most Goans, they needed their daily fix of fish curry, and the author in turn needed his fix of ‘chun’. Chewing on it, he would watch in fascination as it mixed with the spices and magically transformed into a rich orange curry paste on the rogddo.

About the Author

João Filipe José Caetano de Perviz De Souza, spent a good part of his life in Goa before moving to Abu Dhabi in the UAE, where he has lived for the last 20 years. As an anchor, artist, writer and communicator, Perviz has always had a passion for storytelling. He seeks to weave his life experiences – especially memories of Goa and everything Goan – into his tales. To him, his wife Zelma, and their two children Diogene and Nyleptha, the world is home and their life a travelogue of the cultural landscapes they have lived and experienced.