My Culinary Experiences

As I'm not going to be at home for much longer, I thought it best to learn how to cook. I've been told I can make a decent cup of tea(just as well, as I can't live without it), and a few other simple things.

But unless I want my palate to die, I figured I better learn to make some more interesting dishes. Stuff I'd actually like to eat, as opposed to stuff I'd have to force down my throat day after day. So I went for a bunch of cooking lessons and learnt a whole lot of rather exotic dishes: Panneer Butter Masala, and Aalu Tikki and so on...stuff to make you drool, but not really practical to make every day.

So now I'm learning under the aegis of the true expert- my Mom. Mother after all, knows best. We do have rows about what I want to learn and what she wants me to learn...but these are normal and associated with every experience of mine, and I would be quite worried and put out if they didn't take place. Most of them are over Spinach, which I loathe, detest and despise, and find very hard to believe that it goes into one of my favourote dishes- Lasagna. Spinach unfortunately is easy to make and can be made in a variety of ways, and on top of that, It has "great nutritional value"(Why is it that the veggies you hate have the greatest nutriotional value;you never hear anyone talking about how good potato is for health!)

Anyway, now I'm a bit more proficient- so far everything's been edible and I haven't blown the kitchen up, or burnt the milk; and I decided to make a list of veggies I like to eat, and which are easy to cook(slave of my tongue and lazy to boot)- shortens the list of things to learn considerably, doesn't it? Anyway, I noticed something odd about a lot of the Veggies we take for granted these days.

Take potatoes for example(po-tah-toes if you like). They're not native to India- They're from half way across the world- Peru as a mater of fact. So are tomatoes(To-mah-toes anyone?) Lady's fingers(or okra if you prefer) are from Africa.Carrots originated in Afghanistan(though they may have found their way into India along with the Mughals),Peas in the Middle East,Pumpkin, the staple requirement of Morukozhambu and kootu, is from Europe and North America.I am glad I wasn't born a few hundred years ago...life without fried Aloo, Muttar Panneer, Bhindi Sabji, Tomato Rasam... makes me shudder to think of it!We had a lot of spices...but man can't live on spice alone!

As a matter of fact, we would have had to live on a several gourds(yucky ,squishy stuff) and yams( all high carb)...sounds like a very primitive existance...We have a lot to be thankful for these days. Every taste can be catered to, with things as exotic as olives being imported in. Only...I still have to learn to make them....