I think, therefore I write

The edibly inedible

Today’s the first day I ever cooked with absolutely no supervision, with none to ask the ways, the measurements or whatsoever silly doubts I had.Β  There have been times when I have cooked with my friend(s), but we had each other to back on and it was always the maggi-scrambled eggs-tadkawaali curd rice-mash potato version which can hardly be called cooking. Today’s the first solo. For the first time in my life, I got what my mom meant by “You can’t learn cooking by writing down recipes and having theoretical knowledge, only practice will teach you.” I used to shrug it off saying that I will cook when it’s necessary and that I will write all her recipes down and follow it to the word. What can go wrong when I follow everythingΒ  as she says? How naΓ―ve was I!

I opted for the simplest of dishes for the first day – rava upma for breakfast and rice, sambar and a beans curry for lunch. I started out at 6.30 and when the clock struck 7.30, I was staring at 3 dishes with a pout on my face. The upma was glaring at me dryly for not adding enough oil, while the beans curry was having a sour look for adding a bit too much salt and the sambar was laughing at me since I didn’t know if it was spicier than I intended or not. I wouldn’t say they were inedible but for a foodie like me, they seemed like the end of the world.

Well, hubby dearest was the only tester available and I called him to check if it was at least agreeable to his stomach if not for his taste buds. Being a very accommodating person when it comes to food, he granted a pass to everything (he gives a pass to any home-made food as long as they are not spicy) while my taste buds gave everything a fail. Cooking is no joke without practice, fellas! Not at all! I can’t express how much I miss mom and her expert cooking. What she does in the kitchen is pure magic and here I am, like a muggle.

14 Comments

  1. Soumya

    Hahaha I so can understand your plight!

    I am an awesome cook. With loads of practice since childhood. When cooking for the first time, my MIL was ready with her set of comments, but my practice helped me win praises instead.

    Do not worry, twice or thrice and then you shall become a pro. Feel free to drop in a mail incase any doubt! πŸ™‚

    Love.

    • Keirthana

      Wow, can’t help feeling jealous of you πŸ˜‰ Even my mom said that I’ll get better with practice. Lemme see.

      Thanks for the offer dear. I will mail you in case of a doubt. πŸ™‚

  2. Ajay Kontham

    Cooking is no joke. Even if it Maggie. Though I have never even prepared Maggie. But I know. Two weeks of staying in solidarity where ibwas to cook food for myself, I failed miserably. But it was eatable, at least for my stomach, if I should point out.

    But don’t worry. Practise.
    And I am just waiting for the invitation. πŸ˜› #JustSaying

    • Keirthana

      Yeah, Never realised cooking good food is an art. I always took it for granted.

      And the invitation is already sent. It’s an open invite. Any weekend you are free, you can drop by. But you are the first person who’s feeling hopeful to get invited to eat my food! Man, a real friend you are πŸ˜›

      • Ajay Kontham

        Lol.

        I love food. So, I want to explore as much food as I can! πŸ˜›

        Food good or bad, it doesn’t really matter as long as it is prepared by you, I think I can eat.

        Yay! Thanks for the honor. πŸ˜›

  3. Srikanth

    Cooking isn’t difficult. Cooking well?? That’s a different story altogether. πŸ˜›

    • Keirthana

      Very true! πŸ™‚

  4. shiva

    hmm why don’t you hire a cook if you can afford one.its really difficult to do cooking and go to job.why you din’t do your homework before marriage when you know its inevitable.hmm struggling to cook after marriage is tough thing.and i do appreciate your hard work coz these days girls are not ready to cook and they sleep till 8am. we have a cook and maid and my sister in law never cooks though she left job after marriage.best thing is to do wheat rava upma every day for breakfast.its easy and takes 10mins and its tasty and healthy.only thing you need to know is how much water you have to add.

    its like add oil,onions,curryleaf,turmeric powder,salt and green chillies and after roasting for couple of mins,just add water and then rava and cook till its soft.

    • Keirthana

      Keeping aside affordability, I don’t want to hire someone for household work. I have not even hired a maid for sweeping and washing vessels though everyone advised me to. Somehow I don’t feel comfortable if a third person does these jobs. Seems very impersonal especially cooking. Can’t say for sure she will stick to our preferences and timings. I am determined not to hire someone for household stuff unless it is impossible for me to manage. (Hoping such a time shouldn’t come). Not sure how others feel but this is my opinion.

      And thanks for the upma tip. Yeah, I too find it the most easiest thing to make.

    • Keirthana

      As for why I didn’t try cooking before marriage, as I said in the post, I took it for granted always. Thought that theoretical knowledge is enough to start cooking any day. I was wrong.

      • shiva

        hmm,we should look at things rationally on long-term basis.if you are over-working to meet momentary demands and after a period of time one will face back and knee ailments and which will lead to knee and hip replacement.we should try to prevent things and am not scaring you.most of working women with kids in my apartment have maid and cook and they hire only if they agree to come on time.

        hmm am not bothering you,this is how i write comments.

        • Keirthana

          Thanks, no bother. I take care that I don’t over-work. Also, I am lucky to have a husband who is willing to help me with the stuff. πŸ™‚

  5. IQ

    I absolutely LOVE cooking, but that is probably because it is one of those things I had to learn to do from necessity from a young age. I realize that in itself isn’t a requisite for loving what one HAS no choice but to do, but I guess I just learnt to make the kitchen my canvas and I find that it’s a process of art getting lost in their and experimenting and tweaking until you get it right. Consequently, keep it up Keirthana! You’re gonna be as great a cook as you are a blogger and commenter!
    P.S. Having browsed idly through your blog, I must tender my apology for not having visited and commented before this.

    • Keirthana

      You said it right. There is a difference between have to do and love to do. I hope the transition happens for me too with time. Thanks for you kind words IQ.

      About the P.S, no worries, it’s a pleasure to have you as a reader.

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