It was my first time and so I had every reason to be anxious. It was one moment I had waited for so long in my entire life. I had heard from friends how good it makes you feel, but never had the backbone to take the plunge. Even on days, when I had made up my mind, the opportunity was apparently never there and moreover I had other means to gratify my urge. They say look before you leap, but at this point of time, no man can withhold his starvation. And I coaxed my anxiety by keeping aside the fear of performance. Not everyone can be perfect on the first time, and moreover I am not of the perfectionist kind. She was getting ready to please the ravening wolf in front of her. My hungry eyes got wider and every hormone within me got stimulated as her sensual aroma kissed my nostrils. But before taking the final step, I made sure that I am not getting carried away by the situation and am not forgetting the most vital part of the play, without which I may have to regret later. So I reached out my already trembling hand to the nearby shelf & took out the small packet which I had bought last night.I neatly cut it with the razor, which I had beside me, took about two pinches of salt from it and sprinkled over her. My first ‘sambar’ was all set to be devoured. As I looked into the nearby mirror, I could see a proud face of a very promising cook.
I never believed that I could cook. I mean, even water tasted burnt, when I boiled it. And I never showed any keenness in learning the art too. Actually I never had to, since amma was always there. When I had to stay away from her, I was again fortunate to find sources to fill my tummy without tiring my other parts of the body. I mean… I found cooking to be such a slog. But here in the other part of the world, where humans have a totally different set of taste buds, I fell short of alternatives. I finally decided to wear the chef’s cap.
And lo there she was…my first baby, the elite Malayalee queen of all cuisines, sambar. I had taken great pains in memorizing the ratio & proportion of all the ingredients going into it, from amma over the lengthy Skype call conversation. I turned off the stove with great apprehension, unsure whether the vegetables in it are well cooked or not. The color, I thought was a little darker than what it used to be at home. The extra tamarind could have been the culprit. Just to confirm, I took half a spoon from it to my tongue and it authenticated by beliefs. Wow… I said… I have already started getting a knack of it. A plateful of rice with sambar all over it, mango pickle by the side, what else does a Malayalee need?
It was one moment; I’ll never forget in my life even if I am taken over by the Alzheimer’s. Every second of cooking had my senses totally engrossed in it, which no other activity possibly can….barring porn of course. I will definitely suggest people like me, lacking a good hobby, should seriously pursue cooking as one. It is one you can enjoy for the entire length of your life as long as your limbs obey your brains. Also it is one which appends to your survival skills, which is very important to possess, to keep your ass alive in any part of the world. And due to all these pros involved in it, I have decided to become a sincere student of this wonderful culinary art form.
So with a plateful of rice thoroughly mixed with my debut preparation and a tinge of pickle, I had a delightful evening. Although it never tasted like the conventional sambar and it had a little burnt flavor, I licked clean even the slightest of grease from the plate. After all I had my hard earned sweat going into it. And anyway as I said before, this was just the beginning. There’s plenty more to come!!!
