Remarkable stage for comics and graphic novels

As travel blogs become increasingly popular, garnering millions of hits every second — it taps the potential of comics to engage with graphic travel blogs on social media…writes Siddhi Jain.

Food is something that should feed our hearts more than our stomachs. Launched in 2020, ‘Graphic Travelogues’ proves to be a remarkable stage for comics and graphic novels portraying travel. Their culinary section is a trans-regional platform that documents the travel experiences of comic artists across geographies and highlights and identifies recurring topics and new artists, thus presenting and creating treasures in this field of art.

The ‘Graphic Travelogues Culinary’, a project by the Goethe Institut, uses ingredients to serve the most flavorsome dish that will feed your soul, nourish your mind, and delight your palate. The immersive project presents travel experiences of artists from India, Bangladesh, and Germany.

Stories of travel and food are documented on this globally accessible platform, facilitating intercultural experiences through comics and graphic novels.

As travel blogs become increasingly popular, garnering millions of hits every second — it taps the potential of comics to engage with graphic travel blogs on social media.

According to Goethe Institut, GT Culinary is a one of its kind expedition where professional chefs and avid travel bloggers from different cultures and cities come together for a tryst with gastronomy, travel, and comics.

Through vivid experiences and resulting sketches, the project demonstrates graphic cooking and delivers the most amazing recipes artistically. At the forefront of the culinary journey are teams comprising a chef or an influencer and an illustrator that give life to the cooking, exploring and illustrating aspects of the project. It also urges the public to follow the teams’ cookery and artistic expedition and see the world through their eyes — from shopping for ingredients to preparing the dish step by step in times when physical travel seems like a distant reality.

The website gives an interesting sneak peek into Team India: “The famous Indian blogger-duo Delhi FunDos has seen that food of a region reflects the local culture, the life-philosophy of the people. With illustrator Kruttika Susarla, they embark on the GT #Culinary journey together in Dehli. The adventure begins at a Bengali market in Mini Kolkata. There they shop for Shukto and Methi Chicken — one dish from Punjab, and one from Bengal.”

Team Germany (Berlin Biryani) consists of jeg Felicitas Then, Chef and food blogger; and Alexandra Klobouk, Author and culture and content Illustrator. Whereas Team Bangladesh (Fried Loitta Fish) consists of Sameera Hussain Wadood, Chef; and Sayeef Mahmud, Illustrator.

Safurat Balogun, Project Manager and Head of Library Services, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, says, “When we launched Graphic Travelogues last year in the middle of the pandemic, we imagined that the next phase of the project would include bringing artists together through residencies. We quickly realized that it couldn’t happen anytime soon so we had to brainstorm alternatives. This is how Graphic Travelogues #Culinary was born. Food, travel, and comics — is what we are holding on to this year to bring together the finest chefs, travel bloggers, and comic artists for a unique culinary adventure. Three cities, three teams, three recipes — one experience.”

The culinary and artistic journey can be accessed at www.goethe.de/India/graphictravelogues/culinary.

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