Without food, life would end. And without life, there'd be no one to cook and eat it.

YES, FOOD! What I observe about the use of food in Darjeeling is most likely universal at best, but I feel that the way that it ties the story together really emphasizes the larger themes of the book, and is in itself an overarching theme. The foods that the characters eat not only revive memories but make common threads between the people around them, and food indeed forges relationships--Especially considering that the book is about a tea industry and romance, there is in the most appropriate sense something sensual about the usage of food in the book. Something heartwarming about it.

Also, I consider this-- young children are generally very picky eaters, but as they grow they also learn to open their minds to new kinds of foods, a lot of it coming from the experiences that they go through in life. So basically, food is a qualitative measure of growth and maturity.

In a similar sense, though given the wide array of foods I don't think the characters are very picky, food and especially tea is a measure of growth for the Gupta sisters also, in how they forge and forget their relationships and rivalry.

A few examples (And this will span over the course of the whole book):

1. Food becomes a source of comfort when people do not. This may be because food is given meaning to the person who eats it-- To Aloka on page 9,

"A half dozen crescent shaped cookies called Pleasure Domes.... with their powdery, sugar-dusted tops and faint vanilla scent, they were her current weakness. Right now they only held scant appeal, serving only as a reminder of a friend's birthday bash." 

2. The author, Bharti Kirchner, is also a cookbook author-- this may explain why she sprinkles (I lost count after around 20 or so) every Indian dish she can think of throughout the entire course of the book, and gives a vivid description of the taste, aroma, and texture (and appearance) of the dishes. In this sentence alone on page 167, she lists six within a couple of clauses-- "luchi, aloor dam begun bhaja, cholar dahl, payesh, and two kinds of sandesh-- all for an afternoon tea." She does this many instances throughout the book, including on page 144 too. 

3. Or, after a few pages or so a reference to some sort of food will come up in some way or another--

a. It is ground for conversation and thus bonding-- in the awkward dinner scene between Nina (the grandmother of Aloka and Sujata), Sujata, and Pranab, Pranab seems to drive the conversation: "It'd be a pleasure to see you. And rui is my big weakness." (52) "Ah, rumali roti... smooth as a silk handkerchief-- so aptly named." (53) 

b. Speaking of bonding, Aloka warms up to minor character Jahar when she firsts meets him over food, as they start discussing jack fruit while Aloka is picking up dinner at a Korean deli. Then Jahar invites Aloka over to dinner and cooks for her by hand, while they discuss how Jahar prepares the meal. At the end, Aloka realizes that she has bonded with Jahar despite her initial apprehension, as spending time with Jahar enlightens her. After pretending to be a woman named Parveen to Jahar, Aloka at the end confesses to him the truth and adds:

"'I enjoyed being with you. You brought out a new me. I could be livelier and more spontaneous... and look at the world differently." (280)