Follow me on a journey through food and fitness.

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Hello! Welcome to Jiu-Jitsu and Jalebi. My name is Urmila. I have three major passions in life: food, travel, and jiu-jitsu. This blog started as a way for me to tell stories about food adventures and finding a gym abroad while I studied gastronomic communications in Italy.

Since then, I’ve graduated (wahoo master’s degree), but I’m still left hungry. This blog is a testament to that in some ways.

Back in Minnesota (my homeland of sorts), I fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. It heightened my confidence when it was at an all-time low, restored my hope in being healthy, pushed me to check off my bucket list, test the limits of my body, and ultimately gave me the courage to live life more. I realize that this sounds cliché, but when you’re able to throw a 450-pound man to the floor with a flick of your hips, it seems alright to be cliché. Going to Italy was yet another test(ament) to the worldwide network of MMA athletes and the drive required to stick with the sport despite huge obstacles (the biggest of these being living in a small town). With all my travels, jiu-jitsu followed me. It was there when I moved to Copenhagen, and my home gym welcomed me with open arms back in Minnesota.

So, how does this connect with jalebi? Well, jalebi is a deep fried sugary Indian sweet. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m browner than milk chocolate, and I will eat almost anything at least once.

My love for food has been with me before I knew its definition. My mom has many stories of me accepting any food as a baby without hesitating (or biting the hand that fed me). This evolved into watching her and my aunt create complex spicy aromas and transform disgusting bitter gourd into palatable fryums (sic). In my mid-twenties, it translates to me starting a YouTube channel and (re)discovering food, studying all forms of culinary endeavors, and learning to live life on its flavors. So, consider jalebi an ode to my Indian insatiable sweet tooth. Together, jiu-jitsu and jalebi create me–an Indian foodie BJJ white-blue two (white four in some cases, but who’s ranking–bad joke, I know).

This blog is for me, just as much as it is for your entertainment. Follow me on food adventures. Catch up on my latest ramblings on review matches (and hopefully my first competition). Travel with me as I try to start my own projects and touch base with other foodies in the U.S. and globally.  Learn what it’s like to have an insatiable curiosity. Get lost in the sights, smells, and sounds of foreign cities. Come to the gym with me and grapple. BJJ rap. It’s all here. You just need to click.

Welcome to Jiu-Jitsu and Jalebi: food worth fighting for!