Priya Krishna Knows Which Security Bins Are a Trap

08.05.2024 - 17:07 / cntraveler.com

Longtime food writer Priya Krishna’s latest offering is a very different kind of cookbook. Aimed at kids ages 8 to 11, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures: A Cookbook for Kids is a collection of recipes organized by some of the countries Krishna was able to visit in her own childhood thanks to her mother’s career in the travel industry. “Every country starts with a little narrative from my younger self about my experiences of the countries, and I mined my old diaries to get a lot of that content,” she says.

The result is a comic book-like caper across places like Morocco (for zaalouk with halloumi), Japan (miso ramen), and France (tarte aux pommes), filled with illustrations, step-by-step photos, and even “embarrassing” family photos. “The point of the book was not just to tell that story and share the piece of how I got interested in food, but was to expand the definition of what a kid-friendly recipe is,” Krishna says, “and revive a genre that for so long been very white and very homogenous, and make it feel more inclusive and representative of what this country actually looks like.”

Ahead, Krishna spoke to Condé Nast Traveler about resisting the desire to over-plan vacations, where she shops in New Delhi, and finding the Indian influence in Trinidadian cuisine.

The things her mother taught her about airplane etiquette:

She was most particular about going through security and being very efficient—using as few bins as possible, and never using the circular bins. “The circular bins are a trap! You put all your loose shit and you're more likely to leave something behind.” She also always said, “Never put a small item loose in the bin; put it in a bag within the bin.” Your phone, for example: Put it in your backpack, zip it up, and then put it in. Always fold your jacket and put it in a bin. Those belts are really gross. Chunky heels will always ring the security belt.

God, there's limitless things that my mother has taught me about travel! Bring a pair of socks on the flight because oftentimes the cold air is blowing where your feet are. And I won't put my seat back further than a little bit. I think it's super inconsiderate. This is my hot take! I hate when I'm trying to work on my laptop and someone lays their seat back all the way. I won't do that to another passenger.

A favorite destination from her new book:

One chapter that I'm proud of is the Egypt chapter. The recipes were all developed by Ham El-Waylly, who's an Egyptian-Bolivian recipe developer, and he hit it out the park with his hummus and his ful medames. In that chapter opener, I talk about going to the Cairo Museum, noticing that all of these Egyptian antiquities weren't in Cairo, and being told by the tour guide like, “Oh, those are all in the