So, here I am, after a month long vacation, struggling to get back to work. Forget getting back to work, I couldn't even remember some work related passwords. That should give you an idea of the good time I had back home. Right from the moment I landed at the Anna International Terminal to the moment I hugged my mom a month later at the same place, it was pure fun.
My day in India would typically start with a fresh hot cup of filter coffee. Whenever we used to have discussions aka PONGAL about Indian food, my friend ShivA would always say how his eyes would open wide as soon as he takes the first sip. You can't be more right, my friend. I was almost in tears when I took the first sip after 6 years. Then I would go upstairs with the coffee and check all my emails, do some vetti browsing and by the time I am done with all that nonsense, it would be time to have, you guessed it right, nashta/tiffin. So, I'd go downstairs after taking a shower, all prepared for the morning feast, which would be one of the following: Idly, Dosa, Puri, Pongal, Aapam, Idiyaapam, Adai with the most fitting side dishes. The list goes on, but this is all I can remember right now. Well, if you know me very well, you also know that I don't like Idly's. STOP. Before the South Indians start throwing stones at me for that statement, I should say that is the ONLY dish I don't like, so just throw me a freakin bone and continue reading. Whenever IDLY is being served for breakfast, I would keep my face like I just got lost in a carnival (Tamilians pls translate), and look at my Mom. She'd be like, "Oh poor child (!?), I will make you Dosa". My brother would give me a dirty look like, "Idhellaam oru pozhappu!", and I'd be eating my dosas happily with a wicked smile on my face. Oh, did I mention I have been doing this since I remember?
Anyways, coming back to the post-nashta period, I just sit there on the couch without being able to move, watching Sun Music, which by the way, SUCKS except for the few good songs they show. If I start talking about the hosts on that channel, it will become an unbearably huge post, so let me just get back to where I was. An hour would pass and my mom would slowly bring me a cup of filter coffee/buttermilk, depending on the day's supply/demand. As I never say NO to food, especially at home, I would just gulp it down and almost go to sleep on the couch. At this moment, I used to start thinking who I should meet that day and what mode of transportation I should use. By the time I come to a decision, lunch would be served hot and spicy, mostly on a banana leaf. Before I go into the details, I should probably mention how appalled I was looking at the sheer amount of food (read rice), people eat, or atleast people in my family eat. First they have a plate full of rice to eat with the main curry or by mixing it with the side dishes, then they have another serving of rice to have with rasam and finally they finish it off with, again rice with curd or buttermilk while I'd be gasping for breath to finish my first serving of rice. Btw, whenever someone invited me for lunch, relatives or family friends, there would invariably be all kinds of non-vegetarian dishes, FOR ONE MEAL. I'd be forced to eat everything, just to acknowledge their affection.
will be continued...
1 comment:
where continuation?
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