During lunch yesterday, my son suddenly reminisced about a dish that his late mother used to make which we had not had for many years. I remembered the dish and went to find the recipe book in which I could find it and found this.
The book and the recipe found, the dish was made for lunch today and we enjoyed devouring that.
This post is however about two stories linked to that book.
Way back in 1982, a young bachelor colleague SMF had invited us to his pad for dinner and had cooked some amazing food for us. He grew rapidly in the company and by the time we had moved to our Head office by 1987, he too had moved, this time as a married man.
In the intervening years, I had developed an interest in cooking and SMF came to know of this by the treat I gave him to return his compliment by inviting him and his bride for dinner and cooking for them.
Later on, SMF came home on my birthday and gifted me with that book and it has been with me all these years.
Fast forward to a few years ago and the son of the author of the book, now a resident of Pune, and my son developed a business relationship and by chance, I met him when he had come home to meet my son. I exchanged my admiration for his father’s culinary skills and he was quite happy to hear me out. He however claimed not to have inherited that skill. Sad.
A sudden nostalgia for a particular dish led me to three incidents and some revival of interest in cooking again.
My cooking skills are non-existent. I tried a lot of cooking soon after I met Jenny but she found my culinary attempts barely edible. Now she does all the cooking, as she loves to cook. In return I do all the washing up.
Mine evolved over some years inspired by friends working in Saudi Arabia and cooking for themselves. On their return to India they would inevitably spend a night or two with us before going to their homes and would cook feasts for us. I polished up by asking chefs in restaurants for their tips. I can’t anymore as I can’t stand for longer than a few minutes. I guide our help to cook nowadays.
I would be pulling up my chair for anything you cooked Ramana and especially treats like this last culinary feast.
XO
WWW
Let us hope that an opportunity presents itself before too long WWW.
Just made authentic keerai mulagiotal.,took me back to Vasudeva Sadan…we used to enjoy eating phulkas with arachavitta sambhar! North…south fusion indeed!
That inspires me to try that one here. Shall keep you posted.
Many years ago I had a lovely small Indian cookery book that I used regularly. I don’t know what happened to it, but I don’t do much cooking now.
Nor I. I just give instructions to the help or guide my daughter in love with recipes.
I keep hoping my “cooking mojo” will return. Having taken the excess cupcake cases into my art today, reminds me that maybe, in the near future with some help from ?Gina on which appliances I now need…I can make at least cupcakes again!
Catherine de Seton recently posted..Slow stitching = taking it easy
Yes, cooking can be considered as creative activity as well. I wish you all the best.
Interesting how those connections evolved over the years.
I sent a link to the blog to SMF and since then, we have had two long phone calls reminiscing about our past and the links that we share. The last two years has really been very different from what we had experienced before that.