food on my mind

every family has its worthy  talents – some do math, some churn out doctors, some play music, some rule countries, some offer unsolicited advice, - a core strength is passed on in their DNA.  i come from a lineage of good eaters - we certainly know how to “put it away” as my uncle would say.  lead us to a buffet-trough and we’ll get to the stomach of the matter in no time.  not for us some glutinous  making -a –pig- of- yourself-ness.   we eat well.  that’s it.  food is fuel (and a little fat ) for the body and yes, a bit of comfort for the soul.  at home, food was always varied and plentiful- we shared it, we served it , we packed it for picnics and moonlight dinners on the terrace.  we were not allowed to ever complain about

what was on the table -  other conversation was however intrinsic to the meal experience - we talked about books and music, things we’d seen on trips,  who the most insane person in our extended family was (this could take a while- competition being tight in terms of quality and quantity- my mother insisted her family was a bit eccentric while my father’s was purely insane), how the principal (or warden) wanted to meet my parents (again) , who scraped the car door this time– you know regular family stuff.

but after i grew up, i  met plenty of non-family weirdoes and  i came to realise that there was a “World of Food”.  apparently people discussed what they ate for breakfast, what they’d like for lunch (not a simple- i would love to have beetroot vadai- but –  beetroot vadai the way latha made it in 1984 a week before it rained in coutrallam) and what they hoped was in store for their dinner.  people around me  traded recipes endlessly, bought books on food (preparation and presentation) organised get-togethers that focused on more  food  (when do we eat? being my only  bored and  telepathic contribution). soon there were food columns in the papers, blogs on the net and zombie foodies on the same planet as me. i was bombarded with “correct” information on Mexican or Italian food (mostly by people who wouldn’t be able to find Mexico or Italy on a map) the ingredients, their pronunciation, cooking techniques, culinary habits....how to pronounce croissant like a Parisian would (the same dorks however say vada instead of vadai the way a coimbatorean should)

  

food fascists took over the world unannounced – when i went out for lunch with one such, he shuddered when i added the bits of chilli-in-vinegar  to my Chinese soup and chose to “educate” me that it wouldn't be the authentic chinese way . WTF ? – my noshing legacy was from a father who never wasted time in reading (or even pretending to read) the menu at ANY restaurant – he would simply order sweet corn chicken soup and an impressive host of other goodies that were never made at home. no sensible maître d ever looked down his boring nose at him- maybe my father’s prodigious one man-all buffet talent bowled other lesser mortals over?

 

so really all this talk of food in terms like "party in your mouth" (allowed only if you intend to be disgusting) "drool-worthy" (only if you’re a german shepherd) "succulent" (only if talking about a cousin of a cactus) "muddled flavours" (only if you’re referring to the spice girls) "notes of nuttiness" (only if talking about extended family)  "sinful" (only if you have stolen the slice of pie from your neighbour). yummy (only if you’re a 4-year old)  – gets to me.  if you really know the difference between every bloody grain, wine, berry, cheese and herb – you are probably just a nerd.  but don’t tell me if Mexicans eat their tacos with lime squeezed on them  or not. they probably don’t even  care about that considering they now  live next door to a sinful, muddled, nutty  party in the head wall-building despot.  and definitely don’t get me started on the other "healthful" food trip about whole grain-very berry - simple older folks knowing best and how shining is their homespun wisdom of

ye yore - my grandfather who lived to be healthy (but eccentric) 85 ate whatever fare was offered at his table- brain curry, liver curry,

blood curry (and when he tired of limb and  organ donors) partridge, prawn and crab in toto.  Peruvian millet on his leaf-plate?  a post prandial desert of acai berries for good health?   as unthinkable  as me asking anyone for a bloody recipe.