Doing Good Through Food at Dalberg, Mumbai

At The Locavore, we are often talking about what impact means to us. For some of us on the editorial team, it is represented through our attempt at telling less documented stories and paying writers what they deserve. For other teams, it may look like numbers—how many clicks, how many views. For all of us, though, there is one central goal—to make some difference, however small, however intangible, within the food system. It was therefore a pleasure and a massive learning experience for us to interact with the Dalberg team, who specialise in the art of measuring how to do good.

The Locavore team in Mumbai arrived at the Dalberg office ready to share our journey within the food system. We started off with ChefTZac telling the audience about his journey with food, and how he discovered the value of regional Indian culinary cultures and ingredients. Oishika Roy, assistant editor at The Locavore, translated the story from English into Hindi for all non-English and Hindi speakers at the event.

Having shared why we care so much about the Indian food system, and all the complex networks of care and labour embroiled in it, we asked the Dalberg office to think about their own relationships with food in a way they haven’t previously had the opportunity to do. And we did it in the method we know best: The Locavore Shuffle. Dalberg team members found coworkers they rarely spoke to and began discussing their favourite food, a family recipe that is slowly disappearing, how they try to eat ethically and sustainably, and much more. In that sense, The Locavore Shuffle is magic: you may think you know someone because you see them everyday, but the shuffle reveals how multifaceted and connected we all really are.

With the event coming to a close, all of us turned to the star of any gathering: the food. Team members brought their favourite Indian snacks and sweets, like the Gujarati panki, rice dhokla, and Bengali narkel’er naadu. We continued conversations over tea and delicious snacks. Just as we left, the Dalberg team promised to make pledges on how they would like to do good through food, in whatever capacity possible, and discussed office projects they could take up to minimise waste and eat more locally. It was inspiring to see how those who make an impact at large scales in villages, cities, and countries are also impassioned to make a difference at the micro—yet equally meaningful—personal level.