2011 has been a good year, writing- wise. I’ve written more in these four months than I have in the last three years put together. My friends are happy that I’m writing more, I’m happy that I’m writing more. And just when that warm glow envelopes me, some of them burst the bubble by asking me, “ You’re really jobless, aren’t you?”
What makes you think that I’m writing more because I’m jobless?
Let me clear the air a bit.
# I do NOT write because I’m jobless. I write because I have more time on hand now. There is a thin, but very VERY distinct line between these two.
# I write because I can. That is the one gift that the dude up there in the clouds bestowed upon me, and I plan to put it to use.
# I write to describe what is happening in the world around me.
# I write to tell people about me and my little life.
# I write to emote.
# I write to make fun of things and people. Thankfully, sarcasm IS one of my strengths (God and his strange ways...)
# I write because it’s easier to be sarcastic to people over the internet. Face-to-face confrontations have never been my cup-of-tea.
# I write because there are so many interesting things to write about. I don’t know which idiot he was talking about when Shakespeare said “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” I guess it depends on who tells the tale.
# I write to show my creativity, how much ever limited it is.
# I write to rant and rave, without anyone telling me to shut up.
# I write because when someone appreciates my writing, everything in the world seems alright.
In the end, I write because I love to. I may never be an author, I may never give away autographed copies of my books to fans, I may never get a Booker or a Pulitzer, I may never have a picture taken with Ruskin Bond. But at least I would die happy that I made a few people laugh, a few people cry, and a few people to think, with my words.
If that is percieved as joblessness, then so be it.
April 29, 2011
April 27, 2011
All the single ladies*
Inspired by this post, I thought I’ll write a list of my own.
A tribute to my single life.
# True, I have a fully functional kitchen with everything that’s required (except a fridge. Contributions welcome, by the way), but I may have more of Maggi in stock than dal-chawal or vegetables. Am I forcing anyone else to eat it?
# I may clean my room every day, once a week or once a month. As long as I don’t have asthma attacks again, I don’t think it should be a problem for anyone else.
# No, I don’t have furniture except a plastic chair and a bean bag, I don’t even have a cot. It’s not like I have guests coming over for high-tea or dinner. The only ones who come over are my friends, and after a couple of beers, they won’t even know whether they’re sitting or flying.
# Given a choice between buying cooking oil or a shampoo, I might go for the shampoo. Clean hair is so much more important that healthy food.
# I may have just two biscuits with coffee in the morning. It’s not like I have to pack tiffin for the husband and kids.
# On weekends, I may wake up at noon if I want to, and have pasta for brunch. And there’s absolutely nobody to question me.
# I may wake up only by 8:30 even during working days. It’s not like my kids’ school bus is honking away to cacophonic glory outside my gate.
# I hate wearing clothes in the bathroom itself soon after a bath. Everything gets wet and messy. Now imagine if I was living in a house full of in-laws?
# Savings are for people with responsibilities, and I have none. Of either.
# I may go for a movie after work and have dinner outside and come back late. Neither do I have children who are waiting for their bedtime stories nor a husband whose bed I have to warm.
# I may spend the entire weekend watching movies and reading books. Do I have any homework or projects to help with?
# If I want, I can pack my bags and go somewhere on a whim, without having to worry about whether I have stored enough food in the fridge or whether all the bills have been paid on time.
# I can walk around my house wearing whatever I want, or without it even. Nobody’s eyes are getting scarred.
# If I want to dance to Desi Girl at two in the morning, I can do so without the fear of waking anyone else up (except my roommate who won’t wake up even if a bomb falls next to her).
# If I want to watch Sex and The City, I can do so without worrying that my little innocent children will see it too and then get influenced by it (If any of you have watched SATC, you’ll know what I mean).
# I may have bottles strewn around my front room rather than scented candles and Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings, and newspapers instead of carpets. If you have a problem, notify me well in advance before you plan to visit, so that I’ll have ample time to clear away the evidences of my single life.
Me and my shallow single self...
*Title taken from a song by Beyonce. I don't mean to say that all single ladies are as loony as I am.
A tribute to my single life.
# True, I have a fully functional kitchen with everything that’s required (except a fridge. Contributions welcome, by the way), but I may have more of Maggi in stock than dal-chawal or vegetables. Am I forcing anyone else to eat it?
# I may clean my room every day, once a week or once a month. As long as I don’t have asthma attacks again, I don’t think it should be a problem for anyone else.
# No, I don’t have furniture except a plastic chair and a bean bag, I don’t even have a cot. It’s not like I have guests coming over for high-tea or dinner. The only ones who come over are my friends, and after a couple of beers, they won’t even know whether they’re sitting or flying.
# Given a choice between buying cooking oil or a shampoo, I might go for the shampoo. Clean hair is so much more important that healthy food.
# I may have just two biscuits with coffee in the morning. It’s not like I have to pack tiffin for the husband and kids.
# On weekends, I may wake up at noon if I want to, and have pasta for brunch. And there’s absolutely nobody to question me.
# I may wake up only by 8:30 even during working days. It’s not like my kids’ school bus is honking away to cacophonic glory outside my gate.
# I hate wearing clothes in the bathroom itself soon after a bath. Everything gets wet and messy. Now imagine if I was living in a house full of in-laws?
# Savings are for people with responsibilities, and I have none. Of either.
# I may go for a movie after work and have dinner outside and come back late. Neither do I have children who are waiting for their bedtime stories nor a husband whose bed I have to warm.
# I may spend the entire weekend watching movies and reading books. Do I have any homework or projects to help with?
# If I want, I can pack my bags and go somewhere on a whim, without having to worry about whether I have stored enough food in the fridge or whether all the bills have been paid on time.
# I can walk around my house wearing whatever I want, or without it even. Nobody’s eyes are getting scarred.
# If I want to dance to Desi Girl at two in the morning, I can do so without the fear of waking anyone else up (except my roommate who won’t wake up even if a bomb falls next to her).
# If I want to watch Sex and The City, I can do so without worrying that my little innocent children will see it too and then get influenced by it (If any of you have watched SATC, you’ll know what I mean).
# I may have bottles strewn around my front room rather than scented candles and Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings, and newspapers instead of carpets. If you have a problem, notify me well in advance before you plan to visit, so that I’ll have ample time to clear away the evidences of my single life.
Me and my shallow single self...
*Title taken from a song by Beyonce. I don't mean to say that all single ladies are as loony as I am.
April 26, 2011
You're Facebookly invited...
**RANT ALERT**
(Please to be moving along if you're not in the mood to listen to a rant)
Long back when I was in school (Err.. Ok, maybe not that long back), one of the few things that I enjoyed making in SUPW class was bookmarks. Well, that may also be partly because the only work involved in that was artfully cutting out old wedding invitation cards and fashioning them into bookmarks.
My mom had this superstition that wedding invitation cards, once the wedding date is over, should not be retained and had to be destroyed. I offered to destroy it creatively and productively.
Now, tell me, how do I make a bookmark out of a Facebook Invite for a wedding? Hmmm? Do you even know what you’re depriving me of when you send me a FB event request for your wedding? Will you be answerable if my children have to read old books of mine that have been dog-eared beyond recognition, because I ran out of invitation cards that I could have destroyed?? I want an answer dammit!!
No no, I’m not ranting and raving against Facebook. God knows I spend most of my time there myself. But somehow, inviting somebody for your wedding on FB seems, I don’t know, very impersonal. And that too from people I hardly know except for when they sat next to my table once in the canteen in college. So is it like, our parents take the pain of going to everyone’s homes and inviting them or posting cards, and taking time out to call up everyone in their telephone directory, but our generation (Yes! The G factor) prefers to just send out FB invites? And call rates are as low as 1 paisa per second now. Are the most important people in your life, who you really want at your wedding, in your phone list or your FB list?
When I asked one of my friends about it, he told me that it’s probably because they want an RSVP- a confirmation of who all are attending. Umm.. Sure, that works in the west, where they have very small intimate weddings with just about 200 guests. But in India, where a wedding is no less than a circus, would you even notice who came and who didn’t? And would it really matter if a few extra people turned up to join the already 1000-odd crowd? On the day of the wedding, the only thing you would remember is the discomfort caused by all the heavy jewelry and silks, and the ache around your mouth from smiling too hard too long. Only when you see the albums later on, will you really know who all attended.
And there’s the other thing about FB invites. The confirmations- I’m attending, maybe, no. Really, what is the point of that? If you’re very good friends with that person, can’t you just tell them in person that you’ll be attending? (In fact, you go even without a formal invitation!) Isn’t it just brutal to click a ‘no’. I mean, imagine the poor guy’s condition when he sees more ‘No’s’ than “I’m attending’s”. And the people in the “Awaiting reply” list come across as just plain insensitive for not even bothering to reply. And what’s with the ‘maybe attending’. Is it another way of saying “Oh let me see, I have an appointment with my dentist that day to get my gold tooth fixed, so I may or may not be able to attend your wedding.”
I can understand creating an FB invite for an actual event, like a fund-raiser or a concert, because you want to spread the message and have as many people on board as possible. What message do you want to spread here? “Girls, sorry to break your heart, but I’m getting married. Come watch me trash your hopes!”, “Guys, stop giving me anonymous calls and sending me flirty sms’es. I’m getting married. Do come, I'll point you out to my husband-to-be who's a gym trainer.”
I don’t mind missing out on a sadhya to which I was invited over FB. Congratulations! But no thanks.
Wish you a very happy FB, I mean, married life.
(Why do I have this sneaky suspicion that I may not get invited to many weddings hereafter? Oh well...)
(Please to be moving along if you're not in the mood to listen to a rant)
Long back when I was in school (Err.. Ok, maybe not that long back), one of the few things that I enjoyed making in SUPW class was bookmarks. Well, that may also be partly because the only work involved in that was artfully cutting out old wedding invitation cards and fashioning them into bookmarks.
My mom had this superstition that wedding invitation cards, once the wedding date is over, should not be retained and had to be destroyed. I offered to destroy it creatively and productively.
Now, tell me, how do I make a bookmark out of a Facebook Invite for a wedding? Hmmm? Do you even know what you’re depriving me of when you send me a FB event request for your wedding? Will you be answerable if my children have to read old books of mine that have been dog-eared beyond recognition, because I ran out of invitation cards that I could have destroyed?? I want an answer dammit!!
No no, I’m not ranting and raving against Facebook. God knows I spend most of my time there myself. But somehow, inviting somebody for your wedding on FB seems, I don’t know, very impersonal. And that too from people I hardly know except for when they sat next to my table once in the canteen in college. So is it like, our parents take the pain of going to everyone’s homes and inviting them or posting cards, and taking time out to call up everyone in their telephone directory, but our generation (Yes! The G factor) prefers to just send out FB invites? And call rates are as low as 1 paisa per second now. Are the most important people in your life, who you really want at your wedding, in your phone list or your FB list?
When I asked one of my friends about it, he told me that it’s probably because they want an RSVP- a confirmation of who all are attending. Umm.. Sure, that works in the west, where they have very small intimate weddings with just about 200 guests. But in India, where a wedding is no less than a circus, would you even notice who came and who didn’t? And would it really matter if a few extra people turned up to join the already 1000-odd crowd? On the day of the wedding, the only thing you would remember is the discomfort caused by all the heavy jewelry and silks, and the ache around your mouth from smiling too hard too long. Only when you see the albums later on, will you really know who all attended.
And there’s the other thing about FB invites. The confirmations- I’m attending, maybe, no. Really, what is the point of that? If you’re very good friends with that person, can’t you just tell them in person that you’ll be attending? (In fact, you go even without a formal invitation!) Isn’t it just brutal to click a ‘no’. I mean, imagine the poor guy’s condition when he sees more ‘No’s’ than “I’m attending’s”. And the people in the “Awaiting reply” list come across as just plain insensitive for not even bothering to reply. And what’s with the ‘maybe attending’. Is it another way of saying “Oh let me see, I have an appointment with my dentist that day to get my gold tooth fixed, so I may or may not be able to attend your wedding.”
I can understand creating an FB invite for an actual event, like a fund-raiser or a concert, because you want to spread the message and have as many people on board as possible. What message do you want to spread here? “Girls, sorry to break your heart, but I’m getting married. Come watch me trash your hopes!”, “Guys, stop giving me anonymous calls and sending me flirty sms’es. I’m getting married. Do come, I'll point you out to my husband-to-be who's a gym trainer.”
I don’t mind missing out on a sadhya to which I was invited over FB. Congratulations! But no thanks.
Wish you a very happy FB, I mean, married life.
(Why do I have this sneaky suspicion that I may not get invited to many weddings hereafter? Oh well...)
April 25, 2011
Song of the rain... Kahlil Gibran
All I've been hearing for the past few days from people back home is about the rain. And you know how I feel about rain...
I was reminded of a poem by Kahlil Gibran, about the rain, and thought I'll put it up here (and also because all the praise for my last post has gone to my head and I'm temporarily incapable of writing anything original because of all the swelling. Sigh...)
I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven
By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn
Her fields and valleys.
I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
To embellish the gardens.
When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated.
The field and the cloud are lovers
And between them I am a messenger of mercy.
I quench the thirst of one;
I cure the ailment of the other.
The voice of thunder declares my arrival;
The rainbow announces my departure.
I am like earthly life, which begins at
The feet of the mad elements and ends
Under the upraised wings of death.
I emerge from the heard of the sea
Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in
Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and
The trees in a million little ways.
I touch gently at the windows with my
Soft fingers, and my announcement is a
Welcome song. All can hear, but only
The sensitive can understand.
The heat in the air gives birth to me,
But in turn I kill it,
As woman overcomes man with
The strength she takes from him.
I am the sigh of the sea;
The laughter of the field;
The tears of heaven.
So with love—
Sighs from the deep sea of affection;
Laughter from the colorful field of the spirit;
Tears from the endless heaven of memories.
What are your favourite poems/songs/memories about the rain?
Photo flicked from Rohan.
I was reminded of a poem by Kahlil Gibran, about the rain, and thought I'll put it up here (and also because all the praise for my last post has gone to my head and I'm temporarily incapable of writing anything original because of all the swelling. Sigh...)
I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven
By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn
Her fields and valleys.
I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
To embellish the gardens.
When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated.
The field and the cloud are lovers
And between them I am a messenger of mercy.
I quench the thirst of one;
I cure the ailment of the other.
The voice of thunder declares my arrival;
The rainbow announces my departure.
I am like earthly life, which begins at
The feet of the mad elements and ends
Under the upraised wings of death.
I emerge from the heard of the sea
Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in
Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and
The trees in a million little ways.
I touch gently at the windows with my
Soft fingers, and my announcement is a
Welcome song. All can hear, but only
The sensitive can understand.
The heat in the air gives birth to me,
But in turn I kill it,
As woman overcomes man with
The strength she takes from him.
I am the sigh of the sea;
The laughter of the field;
The tears of heaven.
So with love—
Sighs from the deep sea of affection;
Laughter from the colorful field of the spirit;
Tears from the endless heaven of memories.
What are your favourite poems/songs/memories about the rain?
Photo flicked from Rohan.
April 18, 2011
The Essential Mallu-Food Guide for Non-Mallus.
“Do you have squid today?” I asked the waiter.
“No, we don’t have squid.”
“Damn! I was craving for some squid! Anyways, do you have prawns?”
“Yes. Prawns curry, prawns roast, chilli prawns.”
“Hmm.. ok. Then get me two velleappams and one prawns roast.”
I was at a mallu restaurant with a friend, to satisfy my mallu food craving. My friend, a non-mallu, decided to play safe and ordered a chicken biryani.
I was pigging out on the prawns roast with single-minded focus, when a couple came and occupied the adjacent table. Non-mallus, going by the hindi they were speaking. And also going by the amount of fuss they were creating over everything that was there on the menu. Why come to a Kerala food joint if you don’t like the cuisine, I thought to myself. They were dismissing anything and everything that the waiter was suggesting. For one, they didn’t have a clue about half the things on the menu, and were making the bewildered waiter describe what went into all those dishes. And on top of that, it didn’t look like they were seafood or beef-eating people, which, hello, is the whole point of going to a mallu place.
I lost interest in them somewhere in between and got back to my second plate of prawns roast. (Do not judge me, I haven’t been home in 6 months!)
“I’m sorry sir, we don’t have mushroom masala.” I overheard the waiter telling the couple. They still hadn’t ordered.
Err..Mushrooms?? In a Kerala restaurant??!! Umm..ok. Whatever suits them.
Wait wait. The best is yet to come. The guy goes through the menu and asks “How about chicken biryani?”
“Ya! We’ll have that.” The girl is finally interested.
“But wait. Usme tho poora coconut coconut hoga.” (There’ll be coconut coconut in it, whatever that means)
“Oh! Nahi nahi, mujhe coconut nahi pasand.” (No no, I don’t like coconut.)
I was speechless. This was the height of ignorance about mallu food!!! Coconut in chicken biryani, for god’s sake??!!
So here’s a little food guide for all you non-Mallu’s. It’s time you got rid of certain misconceptions about our cuisine, and also were aware of certain things.
1)Yes, we come from the land of coconuts. Yes, we love coconuts. Yes, sometimes we love them enough to make babies with them. But that does NOT mean that we put coconut in each and every thing! And definitely not in Biryani!
2)I really don’t think you should order edible fungi in a Mallu restaurant. The fungi might be edible, but the dish might not be.
3)Yes yes, we luuurve banana chips. But that does not maketh a meal.
4)We do love our coconuts and our banana chips, but we do eat other stuff too, you know. If one more person goes “Ohhh!! Kerala Kutti! Coconut oil and banana chips!” with the all-knowing glee in their eye, I swear I shall not hesitate to break said coconut on their head.
5)We use coconut oil on our hair, and we use the same coconut oil for cooking. If you have a problem, eat bread and jam while you’re vacationing in Kerala. There’s no coconut oil in that.
6)And while we’re on that, if you’re planning to visit Kerala, be willing to taste our cuisine. Don’t expect to find the food of your land here. We Keralites are accommodative and gracious hosts, but if we hear you complaining about our food, you might just find an empty pot of toddy upturned on your silly snooty head.
7)We loooove cows. Go figure.
8)If you’re planning to start a hotel in Kerala, and you dish out Continental and Chinese fare, you may or may not strike gold. But start a porotta-beef thattukada (wayside eatery that serves yummy food), you’ll be a millionaire overnight.
9)If you want to eat the best food in Kerala, eat from a thattukada*. If you pass it off thinking it’s unhygienic, then you really don’t know what you missed.
10)If you can’t take spicy food, either go on a liquid diet or come prepared to spend ample time in the loo. We are not known as the Land of Spices for nothing.
11)We eat bananas, we fry bananas, we make sweets out of them, we make curry out of them, we eat out of a banana leaf, and when the need arises, we may even use the banana peel to take revenge on somebody. You’ll just have to learn to accept it.
12)When we see fish, we lose all self- control. You’ll have to accept that as well.
13)Mallu children might grow up reciting the different names of fish that we get here rather than A B C D. Yes, we are proud of our coast and the bounty it brings.
14)Mallus are very adaptable to other cuisines. We will try anything once. If we don’t like it, we will still eat it. And then go crib about it to our ‘country’men over a pot of toddy and some fish fry.
15)We eat rice. A lot of it.
16)A bowl of kanji (rice gruel) with coconut chutney and a papad equals one satisfied Malayali.
17)‘Avial’ is not just a rock-band. It’s a delectable dish that every Keralite is proud of.
18)If you visit a Mallu house and are served Jackfruit chips, and half an hour later at lunch, find jackfruit in your curry as well, along with jackfruit sabji, do not be alarmed. The jackfruit kheer is on the way.
19)Same is the case with tapioca. We believe in maximum utilization of our resources, as you may have figured out by now.
20)We worship the sea-goddess. In every sense.
21)No matter how busy the mornings are in a household, we still take time out to prepare and eat puttu-kadala or appam-egg curry or idiyappam-stew for breakfast. We believe in starting the day royally.
So, there you go. I'm not sure if this has helped in making you any wiser about Kerala cuisine, but it sure has made me crave for some good home-made mallu food. Dammit!!
“No, we don’t have squid.”
“Damn! I was craving for some squid! Anyways, do you have prawns?”
“Yes. Prawns curry, prawns roast, chilli prawns.”
“Hmm.. ok. Then get me two velleappams and one prawns roast.”
I was at a mallu restaurant with a friend, to satisfy my mallu food craving. My friend, a non-mallu, decided to play safe and ordered a chicken biryani.
I was pigging out on the prawns roast with single-minded focus, when a couple came and occupied the adjacent table. Non-mallus, going by the hindi they were speaking. And also going by the amount of fuss they were creating over everything that was there on the menu. Why come to a Kerala food joint if you don’t like the cuisine, I thought to myself. They were dismissing anything and everything that the waiter was suggesting. For one, they didn’t have a clue about half the things on the menu, and were making the bewildered waiter describe what went into all those dishes. And on top of that, it didn’t look like they were seafood or beef-eating people, which, hello, is the whole point of going to a mallu place.
I lost interest in them somewhere in between and got back to my second plate of prawns roast. (Do not judge me, I haven’t been home in 6 months!)
“I’m sorry sir, we don’t have mushroom masala.” I overheard the waiter telling the couple. They still hadn’t ordered.
Err..Mushrooms?? In a Kerala restaurant??!! Umm..ok. Whatever suits them.
Wait wait. The best is yet to come. The guy goes through the menu and asks “How about chicken biryani?”
“Ya! We’ll have that.” The girl is finally interested.
“But wait. Usme tho poora coconut coconut hoga.” (There’ll be coconut coconut in it, whatever that means)
“Oh! Nahi nahi, mujhe coconut nahi pasand.” (No no, I don’t like coconut.)
I was speechless. This was the height of ignorance about mallu food!!! Coconut in chicken biryani, for god’s sake??!!
So here’s a little food guide for all you non-Mallu’s. It’s time you got rid of certain misconceptions about our cuisine, and also were aware of certain things.
1)Yes, we come from the land of coconuts. Yes, we love coconuts. Yes, sometimes we love them enough to make babies with them. But that does NOT mean that we put coconut in each and every thing! And definitely not in Biryani!
2)I really don’t think you should order edible fungi in a Mallu restaurant. The fungi might be edible, but the dish might not be.
3)Yes yes, we luuurve banana chips. But that does not maketh a meal.
4)We do love our coconuts and our banana chips, but we do eat other stuff too, you know. If one more person goes “Ohhh!! Kerala Kutti! Coconut oil and banana chips!” with the all-knowing glee in their eye, I swear I shall not hesitate to break said coconut on their head.
5)We use coconut oil on our hair, and we use the same coconut oil for cooking. If you have a problem, eat bread and jam while you’re vacationing in Kerala. There’s no coconut oil in that.
6)And while we’re on that, if you’re planning to visit Kerala, be willing to taste our cuisine. Don’t expect to find the food of your land here. We Keralites are accommodative and gracious hosts, but if we hear you complaining about our food, you might just find an empty pot of toddy upturned on your silly snooty head.
7)We loooove cows. Go figure.
8)If you’re planning to start a hotel in Kerala, and you dish out Continental and Chinese fare, you may or may not strike gold. But start a porotta-beef thattukada (wayside eatery that serves yummy food), you’ll be a millionaire overnight.
9)If you want to eat the best food in Kerala, eat from a thattukada*. If you pass it off thinking it’s unhygienic, then you really don’t know what you missed.
10)If you can’t take spicy food, either go on a liquid diet or come prepared to spend ample time in the loo. We are not known as the Land of Spices for nothing.
11)We eat bananas, we fry bananas, we make sweets out of them, we make curry out of them, we eat out of a banana leaf, and when the need arises, we may even use the banana peel to take revenge on somebody. You’ll just have to learn to accept it.
12)When we see fish, we lose all self- control. You’ll have to accept that as well.
13)Mallu children might grow up reciting the different names of fish that we get here rather than A B C D. Yes, we are proud of our coast and the bounty it brings.
14)Mallus are very adaptable to other cuisines. We will try anything once. If we don’t like it, we will still eat it. And then go crib about it to our ‘country’men over a pot of toddy and some fish fry.
15)We eat rice. A lot of it.
16)A bowl of kanji (rice gruel) with coconut chutney and a papad equals one satisfied Malayali.
17)‘Avial’ is not just a rock-band. It’s a delectable dish that every Keralite is proud of.
18)If you visit a Mallu house and are served Jackfruit chips, and half an hour later at lunch, find jackfruit in your curry as well, along with jackfruit sabji, do not be alarmed. The jackfruit kheer is on the way.
19)Same is the case with tapioca. We believe in maximum utilization of our resources, as you may have figured out by now.
20)We worship the sea-goddess. In every sense.
21)No matter how busy the mornings are in a household, we still take time out to prepare and eat puttu-kadala or appam-egg curry or idiyappam-stew for breakfast. We believe in starting the day royally.
So, there you go. I'm not sure if this has helped in making you any wiser about Kerala cuisine, but it sure has made me crave for some good home-made mallu food. Dammit!!
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