You might have got a titbit of aunt’s food from my previous posts. This post features a lot more about her delicious nutritious stuff.
I went to her place for the first time in my life to have dinner. I was given a warm welcome. She asked my whereabouts including my caste, creed, genus, and DNA structure. (Perhaps, she thought of preparing something exceptionally good that suits to my taste and physical attributes. How sweet!!)
I was given a platter full of boiled rice (in pandu language motta rice) and n’ number of supplements including daal, dahi khadi, carrot and beans, paapad, mango pickle, dahi, tiyal, mashed potato and karela (bitter gourd) fries. She was ready to provide chapati as well.
I was delighted with her tiyal and the hospitality. I thought for a moment how lucky Iam to be there to have food. All pandus including Tushi, Mullu and Pandu were there. I noticed them staring at my delight with an imaginary question mark popping above their heads. On the way to home, I started praising about the food. Everybody was silent and did not pass a comment. When we reached dadi castle Tushi frowned at me and said “shut the **** up and first day babba, wait”
We all reached upstairs. All pandus surrounded me and asked in chorus “You have never had food before coming to this place?” Pandu added “I think her taste buds are weak, will be alright in a week’s time”.
I defended, “ The tiyal was really good”
Pandu “That’s the only thing she knows to cook properly”
Mullu “Tiyal was a day’s old. Yesterday that tasted even better”
I was feeling bit awkward but said, “That’s ok, but how many dishes were there? Usually a mess does not provide many of them”
Mullu said, “Daal and dahi are everyday’s special”
Pandu added, “Mashed potato had been prepared in the morning for chapati”
Tushi poured oil in the flame “Karela fries and dahi khadi are two days’ old”
Pandu consoled me “Hi buddy, Paapad is specially ‘prepared’ for you”
That was perfect! They all started laughing when I sat as a loser. I could not control my irritation “Carrot and beans was fresh and that was good”. Pandu made an accent with attitude, “Chill maadi”
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Next day morning she had kept chapati and tomato onion mix subzi for me… specially for me.
Food aunt with pride said “I know Momya, you are a veggie and I have prepared egg curry for others and this special curry only for you”. I felt so good and ate that with so much satisfaction. Meanwhile she was talking about some stupid girls but I was too busy with food and missed out some parts of information in the beginning.
“These girls are really bad (which girls by the way?). They roam around with boys every weekend. They don’t like home food. They don’t know the value of the nutritious delicious food what I cook. You know what efforts I put to prepare all these as per each one’s taste. Yet they show so much nakras (I didn’t understand the meaning). I get up early in the morning at 4 a. m, boil milk and start cooking. No one is there to help me. Hamara uncle has to go, hamara jithu has to go and then hamara rashmi has to go… You know I won’t eat anything till all the girls come and have food. You know Pandu did not eat breakfast yesterday and all the chapatis I made went under the drain. (ok, so you are talking about those girls whom Im staying with…..are they really bad?? But I don’t find them bad. Whatever!!) I finished my breakfast and tried to wash my plate. She stopped me saying “ Keep the dish there, my bai will come and wash it”. I said “ok”. She has not stopped her description “I’m very particular about neatness. I again wash all the dishes after bai leaves” I said “bye aunt, im leaving”
I heard her screaming from backyard “Elephanto, close the door when you go. I am going to brush my teeth”. I wondered “Was she talking to me all the time without brushing??, She cooked and tasted all these without brushing?? She is "very" particular about neatness man!!”
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In the evening I reached home and proudly said to all pandus (yes i hid some facts) “hi gals, food aunt is really sweet. She prepared that tomato curry only for me, as she had cooked non veg for others”. Pandu replied, “She said the same to me also”. I got surprised.
Tushi patted on my shoulders and said “Elephanto, that was not specially made for you, she gave you the gravy without egg” They all burst into laughter. I was dumbstruck “ohmy.... aunt's food... MY FOOT”
