Bhook Laagli Aahe

"Aai, mala bhook laagli aahe (mom, I am hungry)", I would scream when I entered the house after a herculean day at school. The table would be set before I could throw my school bag on the sofa or toss those pointed shoes under it. Mother saw it all but never said anything until my meal was over. 'A hungry child is not to be scolded' was her policy. I took the food she prepared for granted. She had learnt to prepare marathi cuisine after her marriage and she was good at it. Dad loved it. It reminded him of his childhood. I hated it. it was ruining my childhood. I wanted noodles, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers.

One day she was gone. So was the marathi food from our lives.

Next time I went home, aamti had been replaced by katti saaru and masale bhat had lost out to bisibele anna. Uppitu substituted for Kanda Poha and paayasa had knocked down shrikhand/basundi. It saddened me and my father but there was nothing we could do about it. It was the sign of times to come.

Marathi Cuisine at its best

A couple of days back we bid farewell to some friends. The menu was Marathi.
It brought back beautiful memories of a plateful of lost time. The last I had this food in a silver thali was at my wedding :)

Times have changed. Yes there is a glass of sparkly wine next to the traditional platter but it still brings alive the charm of an era long gone by.

Thank you Jacob & Niyaz for having arranged this for us. You have no idea how special the evening was because of all this.