Day 9/Food Tag

Shilpa had the food tag up and I read it at a few other blogs. And since I am on a mission to blog everyday, I need all the help I can get. The tag rules are Five memorable meals ever eaten: It could be anything that makes the meal memorable – the food, the place, the place you were in your life when you ate, the company, the weather, the ambiance – heck, the guy who served the food.

My childhood in Singapore was very interesting. We lived with extended family, comprising of bachelor chachas, dada/dadi and eldest chacha and his kids. On the weekends, my dada would go to the hawker center and buy breakfast for everyone. This was something everyone looked forward to. My most favourite breakfast is Chai_tow_kway or asian carrot cake. It would come with 2 toothpicks. Each cousin had to share one packet. So we meticulously divide the packet up, making sure neither got even one extra piece. Then to use that toothpick and pierce the grease laden pieces and plop into our mouth. Sigh pure heaven.

My dada used to cook sometimes. And he used to make a potato-boiled egg thing. He would mash the potato, boiled egg, raw onions, raw tomatoes, green chillis, cilantro..everything would be mashed to a fine pulp. Salt and mustard oil would be the finishing touches to the concoction. We would then eat it with roti.

In every foodcourt or hawker centre, there is one Chinese stall which is known as economy rice. This stall sells a mind-blowing array of dishes to go with your white rice. A combination plate of 2 veggies +1 meat is $3.99 and  2 veggies +2 meat is $5.99. From sticky fried okra to deep fried fish, from sweet and sour pork to brocoli stir fry. One has a hard time choosing which sides to chose. I remember going out with my friends and each of us would order a different combination of rice + side dishes. And then we would share. Conversation would flow freely, chats about who is currently seeing who. Or what is going on TV. All the while mixing the rice and the side dishes. Double sigh

Now we jump to NK and memories with him

I had gone to Mumbai to meet him before our wedding. May/June 1997. One rainy morning, we took the auto to the Juhu beach. And he bought  the pav bhaji for me. I still remember, the steaming bhaaji and the melting butter on the top. The lightly toasted bun. The rain and the waves. NK scooping up the peas with the pav and feeding me. We were sitting on some sidewalk(or maybe not, who knows it was too many years ago)Young love..I dont think I had ever had pav bhaji prior to that. I thought it was one of the best dishes I had ever. I have since that time, gone back to try the pav bhaaji at the same place at the beach but that feeling of the first time never came back

My marriage day.. my parents were going to leave the next day. I a young bride, who didnt even speak Hindi well, suddenly I was somebody’s bhabhi and some else’s mami. So many feelings. The wedding day, I hardly ate anything and was starving when I woke up the next morning. NK’s sister brought a plate of poha. Again this is the first time, I had poha in my life. His mum had made it. It was the best poha ever, there was the chivda and the peanuts. She had put cilantro, potatoes and peas. A dash of nimbu achar and it was the perfect thing to wake up to. I finished the plate and then demanded a second.Demure bride gaye baar mei.

These were the 5 that comes to mind. I am sure there is many more. The first time NK used chopsticks, last year, the girls relishing chicken rice. Food, glorious food.