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
My mom was scared of the old Times Square so I was never allowed to go. Now Im scared of the new Times Square, so I still never go. – Padma Lakshmi
You dont want your jewelry to make you look fat. A lot of whats out there now does – you just wind up looking like a Christmas tree. – Padma Lakshmi
Part of my job as a food writer is to describe food. So my work on Top Chef, I feel, is an extension of that. When we give a criticism to the contestant, we want to make sure we tell them why its not working and why it would work if they did it a different way. – Padma Lakshmi
Working at the Food Bank with my kids is an eye-opener. The face of hunger isnt the bum on the street drinking Sterno its the working poor. They dont look any different, they dont behave any differently, theyre not really any less educated. They are incredibly less privileged, and thats it. – Mario Batali