memories over food

Decades ago when there no electronic distractions, life revolved around food.

For us as children, all occassions like birthdays or festivals or weekends or holidays meant special food and everything was cooked at home. Hours before the food time, aroma would waft out from kitchen and spread in the whole house and we would start salivating.

Every mother had a unique way of cooking and had distinct taste. Every grandmother had a traditional recipe up her sleeve.

I remember childhood days when all the members of family would sit crosslegged in courtyard in a semicircle with my grandmother cooking chapattis over a coal fired stove and serving to all one by one.

I remember discussions over saturday night dinner, regarding breakfast, lunch, dinner menu of the next day and throughout the day we kept on salivating for the next meal.

In college, in boarding, our favourite past time was sitting in canteen and discussing all the nonsense of the world over endless cups of tea and then fighting at the end over who is to foot the bill.

With not many food options and surviving on fixed amount of money , I would wait for my father to visit and he too being a foodie, we would explore new restaurants where, over food, we would discuss and catch up with all the affairs of college and family. Those discussions gave invaluable wisdom which even today help in facing struggles of life.

when my son was in boarding and when i would visit him, it was a loving emotion to just watch him hungrily gulping mouthfuls of food which i would carry along. Thankfully mobiles hadn’t invaded our lives till then.

whenever I travel and see a boarding school somewhere or stop for a cup of tea, memories of the past come rushing by and makes me nostalgic and fresh.

But my favourite memory remains of the evenings when I would come back home from work and my father would be sitting on chair reading book. He would keep the book aside, take off his glasses and we would talk. First it would be me talking about the day and listening to his wise advise which gave a solution to every situation i faced and then it was what he saw and read during the day.

Meanwhile cup of tea would finish and someone would be urging us to come for dinner and our talks were not finished. This happened every day. It happens now also when I come back from office, sit on chair, take off my glasses, put them on an unfinished book on the table, take a cup of tea, look at the empty chair in front of me and close my eyes.

Though my father left us 3 years ago but at that moment he is very much there. I am sure because i still feel reassured after few moments when the tea is finished and i proceed for dinner.

Sometimes I feel blessed to be a part of generation when food was fresh, fast and junk were not the words associated with food, TV, internet did not interfere the talks and laughter, mobiles didn’t disturb the the most precious moments, swiggy and zomato were not there and ladies of the house had full oppurtunity to show love, care thru their cooking.