Shouts
of “Pappu Paas Ho Gaya” brought in a celebratory ambience in the entire
“mohalla”. Conventional “pedhas” and “mithai” were smartly replaced by the
royal blue Dairy Milk bar for all! Chocolate after all is more than just
chocolate. It is a harbinger of happy news & auspicious occasions, a
mood-setter for romance and intimacy, and a pacifier for broken hearts and
unfulfilled promises. Thousands swear by the effect of chocolate on their
moods. A bar of rich, dark chocolate, a mug of steaming hot chocolate, a tub of
dark chocolate ice-cream... just about everything seems blissfully great about
the world’s No. 1 Comfort Food!
This
just goes on to say how important is food in our life, and not just for
nourishment! In an age where singularity is highly valued and person-to-person
talk has probably gone out of fashion, our soothsayer is ultimately the one we
loyally share our days and nights with- FOOD!
An Emotion Called Food!
When
I get back home after a vacation, I invariably seek the inviting comfort of my
kitchen before heading to any other room.
In our attempt to cook healthy and nutritious
meals, we often under-estimate the emotional importance attached to the process
of cooking. Cooking a food that reminds us of good times is like therapy. When
I feel depressed, I take to the kitchen, it is my personal zone and the sounds
of pots and pans are as soothing as lounge music when my mind is in an
emotional rut! The sight of ingredients and sounds of chopping, blending and
cooking them to produce my soul-food is a process of mental healing.
IT
professional Swapna recently who made a job-move from Hyderabad to Mumbai pigs on “Rasam-rice”
with “Gonkurra” as a wipie-out formula for her
homesickness.
For Prasanna, Laxmi Poojan equates with traditional Goan yellow
banana “Halwa” and soft “pooris”.
“Rajma-Chawal” unfailingly figures on Vivek’s Sunday lunch transporting him to his hostel days in Delhi.
Ditto for Aditi, a Fine Arts
student who has a fetish for the road-side “Masala Dosa” every time she tack;es a tough
examination. “I get a surge of energy to get over the exam blues and prepare
more fervently for the next one, and it's got nothing to do with the loaded
carbs!”, she exclaims.
Food
is good for all types of mood!
A bottle of wine to set the mood
ringing on the first dinner date, streets lined with delicacies during the “Ramzan”
evenings, a grain of sugar into the new-born’s tiny mouth at the “Naamkaran”
ceremony, creatively stuffed turkeys on Thanksgiving and the yummy “Shepherd’s
Pie” and rich plum cakes on Christmas, the world unites in celebrating the one
emotion called Food!
Rains
remind us of “Golgappas”, winters of steaming fried “Bhajias”, summers of
chilled fruit concoctions! Promotions eventually lead to partying with exotic
starters over pints of beer, break-ups lead to spicy Thai ‘take-aways’ gulped
amidst rolling tears! For some, it’s the good old Mac Burger that alleviates
the blues while for others it could be the warm, frothy stew!
How
it affects us in the most dramatic ways!
With
all these additive values of food, no wonder then, it also doubles as potent
aphrodisiac! Butter, garlic oysters on the menu are the perfect recipe for
passion-filled nights! Chocolate-dipped strawberries have always figured
prominently on the “Lover’s List of Soul food”, and so has chilled white wine!
So,
go ahead & indulge! Don’t cut back on grabbing your soul food off the
grocery shelf or stocking your fridge with rich, dark bars of pure sin!
