Wherever their origins lie, their significance in France and around the world is undeniable. For example, France has a national holiday named La Chandeleur, celebrated on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas Eve. This day is dedicated simply to eating crepes and celebrating the end of Christmastime with loved ones (Piquemal). In the US, crepes are a mainstay in brunch menus, with variations of the sweet treat found on menus across the nation (“Crepes”).

However, their significance to me comes not from national holidays or brunch culture, but from the memories they have created in my own life. I remember one moment vividly. As November began,  my friends and I found ourselves buried in coursework and upcoming exams. Eager to take a break from it all,  one day we decided to get food from a restaurant, instead of a dining hall. The timing was perfect, as it was roughly noon and none of us had classes for at least another hour. We headed down State Street and found aMa Bistro, a cozy and welcoming restaurant. I scanned the menu and knew I had to get crepes, topped with banana and Nutella. My friends followed suit, and soon we were all wolfing down this French delicacy in hungry silence. For a little while, the stress that had been weighing on us for weeks seemed to disappear suddenly. Between the warm plates and laughter, it felt like we had stepped into a world of warmth and calm, surrounded by companionship and forks coated in Nutella. Crepes brought us closer and allowed us to destress, even if just for an hour. 

That experience felt familiar when I thought about it later on, and I realized why. There is another thin, warm, versatile dish that has been present throughout my entire life, one that filled my home with rich aromas and my mouth with vibrant flavors. That dish is dosa. Dosa is made using a smoothly-ground fermented batter of rice and lentils, which is poured on a large cast-iron pan, and spread thin as crepes are (“What is a Dosa?”). There were many nights at the dinner table laughing with my family while eating fresh dosa with warm meat and vegetable curries, and summer days spent learning how to make them from my mom. I’ve always felt a strong connection to my family and my heritage, one that strengthens every time I eat this traditional South-Indian comfort food. In the same way crepes brought me closer with my friends, dosa has always done the same for me and my family.