Last friday, it was pouring cats and dogs. So much of rain, that i could not step out on the water logged roads. I was writing an assignment, that i missed the 5 pm cab and boarded the 6 pm cab to board the 7:35 train at carmelaram. Typically, i keep remembering Rama and focus on the present, but this time, i chose to worry about whether or not i would miss the train.
At 7:45, after crawling through Koramangla, HSR, the cab came to a halt due to train signal. I alighted and dragged the trolley in the drizzle to find that the train waiting was Ernakulam express. The 7:35 pm train came around 9 pm. I could have avoided that needless worry on missing the train.
Home Sweet Home
Periyamma came out to receive me and the previous night comedy vanished at her sight. Back home, i remembered my colleague's description of Krishna Cafe meals. He described the kaara kolambu and more milagai. I was arguing, home food was the best, and he was talking about the time spent in cooking. Even my brother said, put some value for human efforts. He said, he would step out for lunch, provided hunger was greater than his joint pain after organizing a function the previous day. He said, if mom had to stay with him, he would arrange a cook at home. Whatever, mom had plucked the leaves, and removed the stigma of plantain flowers. I was feeling delicate to chop plantain flowers from our own backyard. Mom kept on saying, that one should remove the first few flowers for the plantain tree to grow properly. Whatever, didn't get the logic. It is so difficult to eat out on the leaves, that grow in your own backyard under your protection. So i decided to eat on plate. Milk got over, so made bajra scoops instead of kheer.
The assignment had a question on economic costs and i was thinking, about spending 2.5 hours on cooking food for mom, instead of appointing a cook and another help for washing vessels. I could research some articles and publish some useful papers, instead of matching Krishna Cafe's spread for a one time meal. If it was just me, i would rather survive on maggi noodles and upmas. Certain things are beyond cost benefit analysis.
Back in PG
My roomie saw the snaps and asked me, do you take a photo every time before you eat? Not always, I told her. What is mandatory is we keep a morsel outside for cats or crows before we start eating and pray before we start. When we see the food and wait for a moment in prayer or in appreciation, saliva is secreted, the digestive juices get the signal and what goes in, gets absorbed efficiently. Eating food with a complete focused mind is a type of yoga, prayer to God. In Vethathri Maharishi's class, we were told to drink water or eat food, focusing few inches above the head, as an offering to God. So easy to say, so easy to start, so difficult to sustain the practice.
At 7:45, after crawling through Koramangla, HSR, the cab came to a halt due to train signal. I alighted and dragged the trolley in the drizzle to find that the train waiting was Ernakulam express. The 7:35 pm train came around 9 pm. I could have avoided that needless worry on missing the train.
Home Sweet Home
Periyamma came out to receive me and the previous night comedy vanished at her sight. Back home, i remembered my colleague's description of Krishna Cafe meals. He described the kaara kolambu and more milagai. I was arguing, home food was the best, and he was talking about the time spent in cooking. Even my brother said, put some value for human efforts. He said, he would step out for lunch, provided hunger was greater than his joint pain after organizing a function the previous day. He said, if mom had to stay with him, he would arrange a cook at home. Whatever, mom had plucked the leaves, and removed the stigma of plantain flowers. I was feeling delicate to chop plantain flowers from our own backyard. Mom kept on saying, that one should remove the first few flowers for the plantain tree to grow properly. Whatever, didn't get the logic. It is so difficult to eat out on the leaves, that grow in your own backyard under your protection. So i decided to eat on plate. Milk got over, so made bajra scoops instead of kheer.
- Bajra (Kambu) Scoops with cardamoms, pistas, cashews and raisins
- Paruppu with melting ghee - paruppu podi
- Drum stick leaves poriyal
- Vaazhai Poo Kootu in coconut and cumin seeds gravy
- Spicy beetroot with beans and rajma - flavoured with saunf and ginger
- Avarakkai sambar with roast and ground spices
- Murungaka kaara kolambu
- Rasam
- Curd
- Roast pepper paapad
The assignment had a question on economic costs and i was thinking, about spending 2.5 hours on cooking food for mom, instead of appointing a cook and another help for washing vessels. I could research some articles and publish some useful papers, instead of matching Krishna Cafe's spread for a one time meal. If it was just me, i would rather survive on maggi noodles and upmas. Certain things are beyond cost benefit analysis.
Back in PG
My roomie saw the snaps and asked me, do you take a photo every time before you eat? Not always, I told her. What is mandatory is we keep a morsel outside for cats or crows before we start eating and pray before we start. When we see the food and wait for a moment in prayer or in appreciation, saliva is secreted, the digestive juices get the signal and what goes in, gets absorbed efficiently. Eating food with a complete focused mind is a type of yoga, prayer to God. In Vethathri Maharishi's class, we were told to drink water or eat food, focusing few inches above the head, as an offering to God. So easy to say, so easy to start, so difficult to sustain the practice.
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