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Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi Quotes

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Padma Lakshmi is an Indian-American author and television personality. Born on September 1, 1970, she is best known for her hosting role on the popular food show 'Top Chef'. Lakshmi has also published several books on cooking and life, and has made significant contributions to the culinary and fashion industries with her unique background and talents.

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All Thinking Ifs Want People Should Chef Chickens Fried Chicken Clothes Eating

Famous Padma Lakshmi Quotes

“I'm not attached to things at all. I'm very lucky to have quite a few beautiful things, but if I look back at my life, I was often happiest when I had very little.”

Ifs Looks Littles Beautiful Lucky Beautiful Things

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“One thing that happens when you're pregnant is that as your stomach starts to stretch. It itches! So I have to keep my belly really lubricated. Every morning, there's a buttering ceremony after I get out of the shower. It's really like basting a turkey with body butter.”

Body Happens Morning One Thing Stomach Pregnant Every Morning Showers Belly Ceremony Turkeys

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Whether I'm making a recipe or a piece of jewelry or a white-rose-and-jasmine tea or the perfume, I like to think of myself as a happy little sorceress, and if I could just have a little general store with all that stuff and give people a sense of my taste, that would be lovely.”

People Ifs Thinking Giving Littles Would Be Stuff White Pieces Taste Rose Stores Lovely Tea If I Could Recipes Perfume Jewelry Jasmine Sorceress White Rose

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“During the course of filming 'Top Chef,' I gain 15 lbs., so I'm used to needing two dress sizes.”

Two Used Courses Gains Dresses Size Chef

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Every city has a Donald Trump; ours is just the Trumpiest.”

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Flowers die and wine gets consumed. Both are lovely. I appreciate both. Wine and roses. I actually had someone bring me a lobe of foie gras once.”

Dies Flower Appreciate Wine Rose Lovely Consumed

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I am as omnivorous as it's possible to be. I always say there's nothing I won't eat and nothing I won't wear.”

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I don't have any stigma attached to my body. When I'm in my own private space, I have very little on.”

Littles Body My Own Space Stigma

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I grew up a vegetarian. Then, because I grew up in the states, I started slowly eating meat. First it was bologna sandwiches, or pepperoni on pizza.”

Firsts States Grew Eating Grew Up Meat Vegetarian Sandwiches Pizza Eating Meat Bologna

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I know most people use their phones to tell time, but there's something very romantic and beautiful about a timepiece.”

People Knows Use Beautiful Phones Very Romantic Timepieces

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I love seafood. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm probably a pescetarian.”

Vegetarian Seafood

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I tend to sleep in the nude... I'm a sensual-leaning woman. You have to use the word 'leaning' or it sounds like I'm boasting.”

Use Sound Sleep Sensual Boast

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I think eating in itself is the act of great sensuality, so all you have to do is point the camera in the right direction.”

Thinking Eating Cameras Sensuality Right Direction

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York. I am the first one to admit I was a novelty.”

Firsts Careers New York Models Indian Paris Milan

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I like me better naked. I don't mean that in a vain way... When you put clothes on, you immediately put a character on. Clothes are adjectives, they are indicators. When you don't have any clothes on, it's just you, raw, and you can't hide.”

Way Mean Character Clothes Like Me Naked Vain Adjectives Indicators

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Wine, like food, is so emotional. If you think about it, so much of the courting ritual is surrounded by wine and food. There's a built-in romance to wine.”

Ifs Thinking Romance Emotional Built Wine Ritual Food And Wine

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I usually doze off between 7:30 and 9 p.m. while putting my baby to sleep. Then I suddenly wake up remembering I'm an adult with no bedtime. I spend the next four hours catching up on reading, e-mails, and other adult pursuits until I collapse for good until sunrise.”

Remember Reading Next Hours Sleep Four Baby Adults Wake Up Pursuit Mail Collapse Sunrise Catching Bedtime My Baby Catching Up

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I have a great career, and I have my daughter. Sio what I don't have is not as important to as what I do have.”

Important Careers Mom Daughter My Daughter Single Mom

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I never Tweet about my daughter. Never. I just want to be respectful of her privacy. My job as a mom is to know when to open my mouth and when not to.”

Knows Want Jobs Mother Mom Mouths Daughter Privacy My Daughter Respectful Tweet Be Respectful

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“In truth, I am a single mother. But I don't feel alone at all in parenting my daughter. Krishna has a whole other side of her family who loves her, too. And so Krishna is parented by me, but also by her grandmother and aunts and cousins and uncles and friends.”

Feels Whole Mother Sides Daughter Grandmother My Daughter Uncles Cousin Aunt Krishna Single Mother

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Beauty is no accomplishment on its own. It's what you do with it.”

Success Accomplishment

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“From the simple stringing together of lemon garlands for the goddess Durga, to dividing the prasadam or blessed foods for the children first, I came to associate food not only with feminity, but also with purity and divinity.”

Firsts Children Together Simple Blessed Purity Divinity Goddess Associates Lemons Dividing Garlands

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I love clothes, but really I don't have that much to say about skirts. Before I was writing, I went to fashion shows only when the designer was a good friend and I was there to show support.”

Writing Shows Support Fashion Clothes Designer Good Friend Skirts Fashion Show

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I'm an immigrant kid who came to America from India when I was very young and grew up in New York City with a single mom and really was influenced by all of those immigrant cultures bumping up against each other.”

Kids America Young Culture Cities New York Grew Mom Grew Up India Immigrants New York City Single Mom

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I work out all the time! I don't just sit around and eat burgers whenever I want. Oh, if I could I probably would, but I don't.”

Ifs Want Work Out If I Could Burgers

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I'm not of the American ilk that, you know, your lover needs to be your best friend and know you inside out. I think he should know you well enough to please you. Otherwise, what secret will there be to tell him when you're ninety?”

Thinking Knows Needs Should Wells Enough Friendship Secret Lovers Please Ninety Your Best Friend Be Your Best

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I've always had a fantasy to write a cookbook, because everyone wants to know what a model eats.”

Knows Want Writing Fantasy Models Cookbook

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“If you like a wine that you drink, now with your phone, it's so easy. Just take a picture of the label. You learn about it. You learn where it comes from and what the soil is like and why you like it. And that'll lead you to another wine.”

Ifs Easy Drink Wine Phones Labels Soil You Like It

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“It doesn't matter how precisely the onion is cut as long as the person chewing it is happy.”

Persons Long Matter Cutting Onions Chewing

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“My mom was scared of the old Times Square so I was never allowed to go. Now I'm scared of the new Times Square, so I still never go.”

Stills Mom Scared My Mom Squares Old Time Times Square

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“The best thing you can do for someone is make them a beautiful plate of food. How else can you invade someone's body without actually touching them?”

Body Beautiful Can Do Best Things Touching Plates

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“The cookbooks and the writing in general have been a real bonus, but it's not something I've ever pursued... I've been lucky, I guess.”

Writing Has Beens Real Lucky Pursued Bonus Cookbook

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Whenever I'm in sync with the trends, it's always an accident. I still love wearing clothes I've had for ten years. I think understated luxury is the chicest thing.”

Thinking Years Stills Ten Clothes Accidents Luxury Trends Sync Understated

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Women's voices not being heard is the root of many of the problems of the world.”

World Problem Voice Heard Roots

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“In southern Spain, they made me eat a bull's testicles. They were really garlicky, which I don't like. I prefer to take a bull by the horns, not by, um...”

Made Southern Spain Bulls Horns Testicles

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“Part of my job as a food writer is to describe food. So my work on 'Top Chef,' I feel, is an extension of that. When we give a criticism to the contestant, we want to make sure we tell them why it's not working and why it would work if they did it a different way.”

Ifs Way Want Giving Feels Different Jobs Criticism Different Ways Chef Extensions Contestants

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“I have great empathy for all the contestants that come on 'Top Chef,' whether they go home right away or they make it to the finish line. It's a very vulnerable position they put themselves in and I feel for them.”

Feels Home Lines Position Empathy Vulnerable Chef Finish Line Contestants

Author:Padma Lakshmi

“An oil massage, a hot bath, a good night's sleep, soft smells and music and clothes with soft textures denote sensuality to me.”

Night Sleep Clothes Hot Smell Oil Sensuality Baths Texture Good Night Massage Hot Baths

Author:Padma Lakshmi

About the Author

Born: September 1, 1970
Known for: Author
Quotes: 88

Related Topics

Thinking Ifs Want People Should Chef Chickens Fried Chicken Clothes Eating

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A MemoirRelated source material

The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024Related source material

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