From the simple stringing together of lemon garlands for the goddess Durga, to dividing the prasadam or blessed foods for the children first, I came to associate food not only with feminity, but also with purity and divinity. – Padma Lakshmi

I think wine is such a big universe that its kind of like food – its intimidating to a lot of people, myself included. – Padma Lakshmi

Wine, like food, is so emotional. If you think about it, so much of the courting ritual is surrounded by wine and food. Theres a built-in romance to wine. – Padma Lakshmi