It is first time in my life I entered Kitchen as a cook. It is an humbling experience... What India could not do for me, France did it!!! Vola!! I looked at all the masalas, powders, et al (Kitchen's arsenal and ammunition) and realized how great those who invented/discovered each one of them are. I saluted all those innovators who risked tasting that particular leaf, or herb or vegetable and those who preserved, shared and passed down all findings to succeeding generations. For a while it looked like a museum of inventions. If we can arrange them in a particular sequence it looks more ordered than periodic table!!My first recipe is MTR's readymade Spinach Rice. It was easy. I cooked it so fast and perfectly. Officially this is my first cooked dish. Then next day it was Mint Rice...that too was easy, thanks MTR. Third day and there are no MTRs...I have to cook rice and don’t know how to:( I read the instruction manual of Panasonic rice cooker and followed it as SAP consultants follow USER Guides. I was thrilled by the spill over.. How sweet is the Smell of successful cooking of rice!!! The next day, it was to deal with eggs. I remembered what mom and Pri said about breaking them. I felt so strange at executing it. Fast but gentle hit exactly on egg's tummy area. I did it and couldn’t stop smiling at the sound it made while it burst. First omelette that too in Olive oil was excellent but the next two were ...black assed...so i had to throw them guessing their birthdays??!!!
So Mr P, the cook, little frustrated, thought very incongruous for the scene, to raise his lowered spirits. Thought of all the possible romantic adventures he can (spelt as will be able to) have with his wife in future...in clouds "How romantic it would be to cook together!!!, how cute and lovely would be the surprise when the smell of her fav dish and cake wakes her up on her birthday...and how naughty it would be to romance in the kitchen fighting over the dish fun-teasing: u stupid, u didn’t cook it well..eat yourself...and two blas". Then P was charged, all inspired, tried preparing "Boiled Eggs". Cha-Bo always tells "..it is easier said than done...", so i tell it again for all those who are laughing at the difficulty of making "Boiled eggs". Here P goes: I put water and waited for some time, when it started boiling, thought of placing eggs in bowl but ended up dropping them and *phht* they cracked!!!! Aiyyyoooo OMG...shiv shiv (jeez equivalent)..sht...i immediately took them out and threw...then I carefully placed a new egg in a bowl...After 7 minutes..i took it out...n my joy knew no bounds for having boiled an egg successfully..I was as ecstatic as Archimedes in his Eureka Tub or Tom Hanks in the lonely island in Cast away when he makes fires......I felt like Nobel Laureate and conveyed thanks to my Kitchen, vessels and all those neighbours who are up there in hills. Now the egg-opening ceremony..I opened it...whao...yuck...it was still semi-solid..it is not boiled properly...Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I felt as if somebody telling me .."Don’t count your chickens before they are hatch"...But she was 1000s miles away....Anyways it has begun..and it shall continue and will get better.. For those Who has never done cooking: it is one of the most potential skills...it has lot of spin-offs...give it a try...assume yourself as a scientist or an astronaut...or u know..I have no choice but to think of Astronaut..because neither in my success nor in my failure with these experiments, I cannot contact my friends in India...for suggestions...Tricky Time Zone!!!
P.S: I started realizing the importance of each and every ingredient and balancing them. I now know the impact analysis of each minute element. What a drop of oil does, how salt adds and how fire impacts..to the taste..? Our mothers are real alchemists...it’s all chemistry and art!!
