Good Food to Good Mood
We have all seen the Snickers' commercial where former Indian team Captain MS Dhoni known for his cool, loses it because he is hungry. Well, I am no MS Dhoni, but I can turn from being awesome to awful in seconds of my hunger pangs kicking in.
I can have discussions about food for hours together and not be bored. I am the kind of person who can be full to the brim but can always manage to squeeze in a little yum yum if required.
My connection with food dates back to the days of my childhood. Maa, who for very long in her life didn't know how to cook, learnt it from the best after getting married, Appa. I have vivid memories of sitting on the granite slab of the kitchen counter and narrating my entire day at school to Maa while she cooked. Every now and then, she would give me easy tasks of the prep that would go on for dinner. I would be ecstatic that she let me do something.
Gradually I was promoted from assistant to her sous chef. On days where I lucked out, she would let me cook the same dish as hers but in smaller proportions, under her vigilance. Those were the days I'd serve everyone a portion of what I had cooked and wait for their validation. Appa would lie to my face with so much ease that my dish was better than Maa's. I happily believed him. The need for validation after I cook continues even now. I pester my husband and Maa for the same from the second I hand the plate to them.
Most mothers would be terrified of leaving their child in the kitchen alone, mine was confident I wouldn't blow the kitchen up. When she noticed my love for cooking, she took it one step ahead and took the trouble of printing out a few recipes from the internet.
I still have those, it was Tarla Dalal's easy cooking for children. I started experimenting a little more boldly with my cooking. On one of those days, I think I was in the 7th grade, I had decided to make a stuffed tomato curry by the time Maa was back from work. I was not exactly a pro but I was getting there in my head. While I tried to scoop the Tomato pulp out to fill it with crumbs of Paneer and capsicum, I ended up scooping a little pulp off my finger too. Ideally, I should have freaked out and fainted at the sight of blood. Instead, I was just worried I wouldn't be able to surprise Maa as planned. I quickly did the minimum required first-aid, dabbed some turmeric on my finger to stop the bleeding and went on about my business like nothing happened. I did surprise my mom twice that evening:
One with the stuffed Tomato curry and the other with a bruised Index finger. I did get a piece of her mind but she didn't stop me from cooking.
With such a strong connection to cooking and food I had developed over the years, there was very little possibility that this was just a phase. Food is divine. Imagine having the power to satisfy your own craving, and that's what cooking does to me. It empowers me. When things go wrong in my world I resort to food. There's nothing that could fix you better than a good bowl of ramen followed by a cold bottle of Oreo shake.
My cousin Pree has a 3-year-old kid, whom I fondly call Momo. Pree and I have these never-ending conversations about food. Thanks to the lockdown the frequency of these conversations increased. Momo has been witnessing these since the age of 1. Pree and I would start with a video call with our tabs of Swiggy and Zomato open. Scroll through the entire page and decide on what to eat after maybe an hour. For most of the times, we have placed multiple orders because the Menu looked enticing, or there was a new place that opened up, or we were both craving different things and ended up wanting both. I have described the event of one meal. Now imagine this happening at least 3 times a day.
Momo has been a silent spectator till she started learning how to talk. Momo shares her love for food as much as Pree and I do. I have seen her eyes light up at the sight of fruit and I have seen the same for a bowl of Maggi. Momo for a 3-year-old has choices when it comes to eating, she's not fussy but she's particular.
A big difference between the two. She eats healthy and deserves a break once in a while just like all of us do. I am going to stop writing on food love for now with two videos of Momo narrating a story, and you'll see how every story of hers is about wanting to eat something.
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