Cooked Up..!!!

Yes...that's exactly how you will feel after those bheja-frying lectures on the art called cooking. And the artists – everybody possible…right from your grandmas to parents to aunties to friends!!! This is yet another saga of my transformation from cooking-illiterate to cooking-literate with “Pun Intended” ofcourse :P

The Late 1990s: Red chilli powder or Red Kumkum powder??
“Who cares??!!” was my instant reply and yes that’s how I was. During the 10th boards by some quirk of fate I had to enter the kitchen and cook, thankfully just a curry. Thought I was doing a great job till my mom gave a horrified look. Instead of using red chilli powder I used red kumkum powder (mind you…I was still in ‘school’ and both were red in color)

That’s “it” ! The funny bone of the whole world (read my world) was tickled to such a humorous (read sick) extent that all they did was to braoadcast to the rest of the unknown world about the great (actually shameless) act of mine. The whole incident was beaten, the fun grinded and the world chewed it sucking the juices out of me.

“She cant even differentiate chilli from kumkum??? Badly pampered!!” Said one.

“How can someone do this and yet be so proud of it? With this kinda attitude she will never be able to sustain in her inlaws place” said another.

I gave all of them a smile, a shameless smile of indifference, silently telling them “That’s not my priority NOW”

Mid 2000s: Jeera…What’s that??

Another unfortunate day when my friend asks me to get some jeera I fail to recognize how it looks much to their dismay. That’s another “it” ! This time the ‘shocking’ bones of the world were jerked. Obviously I was doing my MBA and not knowing Jeera at that age was hopeless according to them. My dear darling friends also join the bandwagon this time and make a song and dance about my culinary skills on every possible occasion. I don’t remember any gathering discussing food and not discussing my 'expert' cooking talent.

“I really pity the one who is going to marry Haritha.” Said one
“Pls teach your daughter atleast some elementary cooking tips before her marriage otherwise she will bring disgrace to you.” Said another very concerned and cribbing soul.

Then again I gave all of them a smile,a smile of exasperation, loudly telling them – “You are right Im grown up. Then why the hell are you still worried?”

Late 2000s – Precisely 2008 and present:

I can cook a full meal (tasty one) to my husband. He eats it to his stomach’s content and thanks (rather loves) me to his heart’s content for the tasty meal. I haven’t attended any crash course in cooking nor have I taken any of those expert tips from the so-called concerned world. All I did was to use my common sense while cooking and my heart while experimenting a new dish

The whole world gets started again but this time turning the tables ! Whoa!!
"Cooking isnt a big deal...it comes naturally especially to a woman" says one.
"I know you are smart enough to cook well even w/o any practice before marriage and you did it." says another (now) encouraging character
All of them now infact say – “When are you cooking for us? Waiting to taste your food”

Now again I give this enthusiastic crowd another smile, a smile of vengeance sarcastically telling them “I cook only for MY people” :P

All the while I kept telling my mom to let me do what my age and situations demand. If I am in 10th let me prepare well for my boards. If I am in my MBA, let me plan for my career. When I marry I will anyways cook. Why should I be doing something now which I can as well learn later?? Apparently there were no takers to my school of thought. To quote my cousin Vasudha(another victim) – “Cooking is to man what suckling is to babies”. How true ! And if it is this natural why raise such a hue and cry??

So gals...dont take the steam of those comments and boil ur blood or fry your mind even more….just put off the guilt cylinder and light ‘your’ stove in ur style….This way you will end up being a good cook without being badly “cooked up” ..!!!!

….And the Saga continues…

“My emotional dilemma” is what I would like to call it in one word. Relations are myriad and relatives (read friends, family, cousins and every other association) weird. Even before I knew what a “relation” truly meant I knew I was emotional, I knew I cant live with out them and I knew being out of a relation breaks my heart and dampens my eye. Every time I find someone “close” to me part ways with me I have seen a piece of my heart walking away from me leaving my heart bruised…

All of my relations usually start off on a very stormy note thanks to my ever-talkative and over-expressive attitude. Sometimes they are like this lovely breeze which touch you only on and off yet leaving an eternal fragrance. Whatever be the case my heart has absorbed them like a clay pot absorbing any color of the water. The moment my eyes widen, my smile broadens and my heart jumps in joy seeing someone or talking to someone I know I have found another flower in the garden of my life. We may be as different as rose and lily yet I ensure that the seeds of our relation are strongly soiled. Different flowers bring different colors to our garden. My heart holds them close inside, my surprising lil gestures add water to nurture the relation, our 'sun'ny converstions give the much-needed food for the relation to grow strong.

There are occasional showers of anger, dampening disappointments and thunders of arguments. But after the storm there is lull again, the cool breeze hasn’t stopped us swaying again towards each other like two flowers swaying again to the breeze of friendship and love.

With all these my heart gets emotional, increases expectations and prioritizes the association. The green plant grows becoming a cynosure for the rest of the world. My friends tell me how much proud they are to be one in my garden. Each of those flowers vie with each other to be “My fave” flower

Suddenly one day the green plant of our friendship starts to show the yellow stains of disinterest. Everything is the same – the heart holding tight, the water nurturing and the ‘sun’ny talks still on. Yet its not the same realizes my heart... My heart worries, desperately tries to see what is wrong; the plant of our relation is now watered with its tears, there’s no longer sunny talks only a pall of gloom covering it like a sky around the earth. The plant knows it all but doesn’t heed.

“Why don’t you tell me what is wrong?” Unless you speak out how would I know what mistake I did?” asks my poor heart. But the plant of our friendship continues to become yellow and finally dies. The poor heart having seen a piece of its heart dead is appalled and dazed.

“This is not the only flower in the garden” tells my mind to which my heart says – “No flower is replaceable” while looking at the hundred others.

It wonders what could have prevented this and takes the extra care while planting a new seed of friendship. After the seed of a friendship blossoms into a lovely green plant it again turns yellow leaving a vale of tears to my heart.

Getting a little serious on this…No matter how much extra care I take to go that extra mile to make my relations, “some” people have ruthlessly ditched me. I take a cue from the experience, teach myself some wisdom and move on with my life. Yet it happens as I grow in my life….I don’t think I have ever learnt any lesson at this rate !!

Yet I don’t give up…I bring a new flower; it dies, and then bring one more, even that dies……and the saga continues….

But hey...the one thing I never learnt and never intend to learn is "Forget" & "Forgive" all those who made me shed a tear ... :P

PS: This is not for all those who have been, are and will be with me. A Big Thanks to all you guys for bringing some beautiful colors to my life :-)