I was reading Mrs. Dalloway the other day. It’s this book which I haven’t really read but from the blurb I understood that it was a story about a hostess. So, I got inspired and invited some of my friends over for lunch. Actually I just gave them the idea in the canteen during one of our vellapanti sessions in college and they promptly decided to turn up the very next day. Considering I live in a very god forsaken part of Delhi which can be only be reached by crossing the Yamuna which some delusional politicians still like to call a river, I was elated that people were willing to drive over and come to my house. I excitedly planned a menu of kadhai chicken, stir fried vegetables, rice and rotis. Being someone who’s only been cooking for about a year I didn’t want the first lunch I threw to be a complete disaster, so I kept the menu simple. The trick to successful entertaining, which I’ve learnt from my mother lies in the understanding that even if you cook a small variety of dishes all of it has to be scrumptious enough to make people want a second helping.
After everything was finalized K told me she’d be there by morning with Yogi to help me cook. About four people cancelled on me in the morning and it was just as well because I only ended up cooking enough for about 6. I woke up early and by the time I got out of the shower K had already turned up at the gate. I took her to buy groceries while she cribbed the whole way about my being not responsible enough to have gotten the groceries the previous evening.
K had conveniently forgotten to mention that she couldn’t cook. Not like I was banking upon her but the simple task of cutting vegetables seemed to require detailed instruction so after a while I sent her to watch television with Yogi. They both showed their mature sides while fighting for the remote but I was just happy I got space to move around in the kitchen.
I like cooking. I think I was around 13 when I made my first parantha. Cooking takes my mind of things. It's actually sort of yoga unless I’m really tired. In the kitchen I can move around, do my own thing and experiment. Also, I have the sweetest brother, he will eat anything and everything without complaining and that gives me a lot of confidence because I can use him as a guinea pig to try out new things. The feeling I get after a successful cooking session is very satisfying. My culinary skills are not much to boast about. There are better cooks and famous chefs but just looking at a dish turn out the way I had imagined it would makes me very happy with myself. In college I’m the brunt of house-wife at the age of 19 jokes, but I stopped caring long back. It was stupid to get upset about something I like doing and actually enjoy.
Lunch was great. It was great conversation, great food and a bunch of people who get along very well with each other. The best part about the day was that no one gave me a compliment on how good the food was. No one said they wanted to learn it or try it for themselves. Everyone took a second helping.
After everything was finalized K told me she’d be there by morning with Yogi to help me cook. About four people cancelled on me in the morning and it was just as well because I only ended up cooking enough for about 6. I woke up early and by the time I got out of the shower K had already turned up at the gate. I took her to buy groceries while she cribbed the whole way about my being not responsible enough to have gotten the groceries the previous evening.
K had conveniently forgotten to mention that she couldn’t cook. Not like I was banking upon her but the simple task of cutting vegetables seemed to require detailed instruction so after a while I sent her to watch television with Yogi. They both showed their mature sides while fighting for the remote but I was just happy I got space to move around in the kitchen.
I like cooking. I think I was around 13 when I made my first parantha. Cooking takes my mind of things. It's actually sort of yoga unless I’m really tired. In the kitchen I can move around, do my own thing and experiment. Also, I have the sweetest brother, he will eat anything and everything without complaining and that gives me a lot of confidence because I can use him as a guinea pig to try out new things. The feeling I get after a successful cooking session is very satisfying. My culinary skills are not much to boast about. There are better cooks and famous chefs but just looking at a dish turn out the way I had imagined it would makes me very happy with myself. In college I’m the brunt of house-wife at the age of 19 jokes, but I stopped caring long back. It was stupid to get upset about something I like doing and actually enjoy.
Lunch was great. It was great conversation, great food and a bunch of people who get along very well with each other. The best part about the day was that no one gave me a compliment on how good the food was. No one said they wanted to learn it or try it for themselves. Everyone took a second helping.
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