She was homesick in Paris and missed her mom's cooking. Her mom wasted no time and started packing her bags

Living abroad often brings unexpected emotional challenges, and one of the most powerful triggers for homesickness is food. For many who have left home to study or work abroad, cravings for meals from home reflect a deep emotional connection to family, memory, and identity. Mahi Kabra, who was staying in Paris, felt exactly that when she messaged her mom to say she missed the meals she grew up with. What followed was documented in a TikTok video posted to her account, @mahi.kabra, and it shows what maternal love looks like when it crosses borders.

The clip opens with her mom unloading a suitcase packed with 24 frozen, homemade Indian dishes. Each container is neatly labelled in her mother's handwriting. Dishes like aloo methi, bhindi, and moong dal are carefully arranged in rows, ready for the freezer in Mahi's Paris kitchen. In the caption, she wrote, "I told my mom I missed her cooking, so she made 24 of my favorite dishes, froze them, and brought them to Paris. Indian moms are next level." Mahi shared in the comments that she moves often, and because Indian cooking requires a wide range of spices, she hadn't wanted to buy all of them just for a temporary stay. That experience of missing the specific meals you grew up with while adapting to life far from home is something many people living abroad can relate to.

According to Leigh Matthews, psychologist and Director of Therapy in Barcelona, this kind of longing is deeply tied to memory, identity, and emotional comfort. Familiar meals trigger episodic memories of childhood and family, offering a sense of safety and belonging. Food also reinforces cultural identity, grounding people in their roots when everything else feels unfamiliar. In times of stress, these dishes serve as emotional regulation tools, providing comfort and stability. Because food is a multisensory and social experience, it also helps recreate a sense of connection and home, and in stressful or uncertain times, it acts as an emotional anchor, bringing people back to who they are.

The video struck a nerve online, and many viewers recognized the gesture because they had seen it before in their own families. @atilolaaa wrote, "My mum would do this when I lived away from home in college. She would cook months' worth of food and freeze it for me, so I always had something to eat when I was broke." @differentypeofcin shared, "My mom did this for me with Nigerian food just before I moved to Italy and all of my luggage got lost:(((( Cherish this!!" @devilwearspyjamas added, "My mum brought frozen crab curry from South Africa to London. It’s their love language."

Some comments were playful, while still clearly wholesome. @678999eight212 noted, "Your fridge only had the yogurts before she turned up." @hellokittylovesyou123 admitted, "Mahi, I've rewatched this 15 times, it's so wholesome." @b.d.r.amel wrote, "She is so proud you miss her food!!! That means she is a really good cook and a wonderful mum!" @mani.miracle quipped, "Yummy. To not have to order Uber Eats for 24 meals... my bank account is happy af, lol." @heyimstefandb said, "Girl, is your mom looking to adopt? Asking for a hungry friend."

You can follow Mahi Kabra (@mahi.kabra) on TikTok for more vlog-style content.