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| Towards the end of Sawan [my Delhi school] |
I love to try varieties of food though I am not a glutton. Not a
gourmet, either. A philanderer with food, if you like. I can relish Khasi
tribal foods as heartily as Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was a sheer pragmatic
need that taught me to love whatever the man on the next table ate.
Rather, woman, I should say. My experiments with food started when I was
working as a teacher in a high school at a place called Jaiaw on the outskirts
of Shillong. Jaiaw is just a kilometre, as the crow flies, from the main market
(Bara Bazar) of Shillong. But it had no pretensions to being anywhere near the
capital of the state. Jaiaw was like a small junction in a village for all the
eight years I worked there. Nothing ever changed: the same narrow streets, the
same houses on either side of them, the same small shops. There was just one
small Khasi restaurant which looked more like a shed than a tea shop. I had my
lunch there every day for quite some time along with a few other colleagues
from school who were all women since I was the only male member in the whole girl’s
school in those days. Those affable Khasi ladies introduced me to the flavours
and savours of Khasi cuisine.
It wasn’t at all easy in the beginning to get to like that bland food.
The Khasis hardly used spices. Eventually I got used to the food which was more
like boiled vegetables and boiled meat. A time came when I didn’t even mind
trying doh-jem (intestines) and doh-khlieh (tongue and brain) though my instincts didn’t permit me to go too far with these.
When Maggie entered my life traditional Kerala food returned. She doesn’t
like to experiment much with food. Even when she ventures to experiment, the
frontiers are clear: ends at Thiruvananthapuram in the south and Kasargod in
the north. But she has lived with me in Shillong and Delhi for many years.
Delhi brought me in touch with the typical North Indian foods. The
school where I worked for 14 years offered us free food in the dining hall
along with the students. On all working days I shared breakfast and lunch with
the boys (yeah, it was a boy’s school unlike the Shillong counterpart). I
immediately fell in love with the pure vegetarian North Indian food. I loved
those parathas and chapattis and the infinite variety of dishes made of potato
with umpteen combinations. I loved the ubiquitous leafy vegetables [and there
was an endless variety of them which I now miss in Kerala] as much as the occasional
Shahi Paneer.
When I travel, I would like to try the local varieties of food just to
understand the flavours of the culture. Maybe, there’s something very lovely
and loveable in those cultures. The truth is that I miss North Indian food now.
PS. Inspired by: In[di]spire
Written straight from the heart... loved the easy flow of your post and agree with you. But is Khasi food really bland? I remember going to the only Khasi eatery in the main market in Shillong and served super spicy stuff. The owner was a Khasi and had worked as a cook in some restaurant in Delhi for a few years.
ReplyDeleteWhat i got in those days was invariably bland. They used to keep chillies and onion slices for those who wanted to spice and i relied on them heavily.
DeleteOh, yes, i remember there was a chutney called thurumbai which was pungent and hot. But i never got to like it.
DeleteI love north Indian food too. The trouble with south Indian restaurants that offer north Indian food is if you eat what they have to offer, it tastes just like what it is. North Indian food cooked by a south Indian who does not know his job. And by the way it is a long time since you have entertained us with a short story. Something a bit chilling. I would love to read one from you next. This request is from a fan.
ReplyDeleteI tried chappattis in Kerala's restaurants and decided never to take this risk again. I prefer Chicking outlets here to even south Indian dishes.
DeleteStories hit my neurones only occasionally like flashes of lightning in summer. I hope one strikes soon 😉
Very nice , today how people are enjoying street food. You have shown it better.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWow! You have had wonderful experiences with food. It is hard to believe that there are dishes of intestines, brain and tongue served as delicacy in Khasi tribes.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes North Indian food is so full of flavours. Glad you liked it and miss it.
Thanks for sharing your experience
Life has been quite an appetising journey for me. The best part was in Delhi.
Delete