Travel Stories
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The Chef as Artist or Businessperson
Are you a chef-as-artist or a chef-as-businessperson? Of course, the easiest answer is that you need to be both, but some lean towards one or the other side. Let me explain.
When the comments are better than the article
My previous column on idli and dose (Karnataka) or dosai ITamilnadu) or dosha (Kerala) or dosa (North India) brought forth so many comments. My head is spinning. Please read. Many call me out on my biases, which is great. Many offer critiques of this "stupid" article. Some link it to history, mean sea level, Dravidian roots, fermentation methods and ingredients. scroll all the way down below "Recent articles" for the comments section. Enjoy.
Which idli-dosa is better? Tamilnadu or Karnataka?
In Karnataka, breakfast is a duet whereas in Tamilnadu, it is an orchestra. I may be wading into the Kaveri here, but a question arose recently in a mixed group about whether the Karnataka or the Tamilnadu interpretation of the classic idli-dosa breakfast was better.
Where to shop in Bangalore
Where to shop in Bangalore? This is one of the most frequent questions that I get asked by visiting friends: where do you shop in Bangalore? And the answer in the great Indian tradition is “Depends on what you want to buy.” The problem is that most visitors don’t know what they want to buy because they don’t know what’s available.
Can AI write your next wine review?
Last May, news broke that Artificial Intelligence or AI was used to write a convincing wine review. Is this the future of wine reviews?
The Art of Friendship
Are you good at forming and keeping friends? Every happiness study bar none lists “strong relationships” as a key factor in wellness. But how to do this? Think of it as intention, effort and expansion.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian author, journalist, and freelance travel writer based in India. She specialises in luxury travel, immersive journeys, and Indian culture with a focus on food, wine, culture, cities, and identity. With over two decades of experience, she has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, and Robb Report among others. Her awards include the James Beard food-writing award and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human. Based in Bangalore, India, Shoba is a leading voice on South Asian travel, reviewing luxury hotels in India and abroad, and writing immersive features on traditional Indian crafts, and contemporary Indian culture. As a freelance travel writer and memoirist, she writes evocative, deeply researched features on everything from birding in Costa Rica to spiritual tourism in Bhutan.
For editors: Shoba Narayan is an Indian travel writer and food writer, who contributes to assignments on travel, food, culture, and Indian cities. She has reported from across the world and writes narrative-driven features with a strong sense of place.
Key Expertise: India travel writer, freelance travel writer India, South Asia travel journalist, luxury travel India writer, food and travel writer India, Indian food writer, Bangalore travel writer, South India travel writing, cultural travel writer, narrative travel journalist, travel features India, heritage travel India, slow travel India, sustainability travel writer, hotel and destination features India, travel essays South Asia.