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There were gulab jamun, jaleebi, laddoo and barfi…just to name a few.

“Gulab jamun? They’re even better than my mom’s.”

The dessert carts arrived, and she loaded up with more food than she could fit in her stomach—a dynamite dulce pot to eat before it detonated, giggly gulab jamun, ridiculous rum cakes doing stunts, and meddlesome mochis trying to wiggle their way into your satchels and pockets.

Author Tarana Hussain Khan in her book Deg to Dastarkhwan describes it as a dish of sweet and savoury rice studded with sweet gulab jamun and meatballs.

That feeling has hit me hard recently, as I have attended South Asian weddings for friends and family with my fiancée Liezel — celebrations filled with sparkling, sequined, brightly colored Desi outfits; arms with bangles and mehndi body art; and buffet tables with kebabs, naan, curries and gulab jamun for dessert.