Part -1
'Nandini! did you start preparations for our guests?'
'Ji.. dont worry. We will adjust some how. They will be here only for 2/3 days'
'No.. I am asking whether you have prepared the batter for Dosa? It will take one full day to ferment'
Nanidini sighed... This is what the problem in marrying a man who knows cooking.. huh! and to top it all, her husband runs a successful south indian take away.
Probably this is the reason why, she never allowed her 'only' son Ashutosh to enter into the kitchen. Let the bahu have a peaceful kitchen-life atleast!
Just as in any other household, Ashutosh's father (let us call him BB for convenience sake) has distinct views about child rearing..which are just 180 degrees opposite to his wife. He thought.. by the age of 12, every kid should be self-sufficient and should be able to cook himself / herself and independent in everyway. But here, Ashutosh cant even boil water for his tea!!! He thought, his dream of seeing Ashutosh cooking for himself is going to be a distant possibility... would never become a reality... Also, if a person cannot even tell the difference from moongdal sambar to Tur dal sambar... what would he serve to his clients? Who would look after the take-away business??? All those secret formulas he has made for preparing special meduvadas and rava dosas will no longer be passed on to his son.
Sure, Nandini is spoiling her son!!
At that moment, he decided that.. no matter what..he is going to pass on the secret ingredients to his son!
*** *** ***
'Mom! What is for breakfast?'
'Just coming raja.. wait for two minutes.. Iam making beds for our guests'
'Oh ma..I have come here after a long time from US, that too only for two weeks and you people are giving your time to someone else'
'No no.. dear.. our old friends Col Verma is coming with his aunt and daughter. They are coming here for a wedding and some alliancess for their own daughter. Since they are coming from Kanpur, we agreed that we would accommodate them!'
'But our house has got only two bedrooms... where will we keep them ? in the store room or mezzanine floor or in the hall?'
'Who said, we are arranging them there?.. They will be in your room and you choose to stay in the store room / attic or hall'...
'MAAA...'
'Aur haan... till the time they leave, donot show your grumbling face.. paste a smile on it'
'MAA..MAAA.. I am your son...'
'Ofcourse... but guests first.. and Nidhi is such a sweet girl... preference to her... '
Ashutosh was aghast.. he opened and closed his mouth three times like a gold fish in the aquarium to say something...but nothing came by...He already started hating Nidhi and her father and her grand mother... Hell... Let all of them go to hell... and prayed God that whichever groom they are trying for the alliance should find this girl ugly... Secretly, thought he would offer 11 rupees of mannat in the local temple's hundi.
*** *** ***
'Mom What is for breakfast?.. '
'Ashutosh! your mom will make tasy masala dosas for you!'
'Son! we are going to have chole tonight with guests... it will be a problem for digestion if we have proteins for breakfast and dinner.. two times... thats too much'
Ashutosh has nothing to say... He is seeing the occupational hazards of having nutritionist as mother and a die hard south Indian foody fan as father...
How can one cook science into everyday's life... Akhir koi khana bhi itna scientifically banaate hai kya?'
Part - 2: Arrival of Nidhi
Edited by mudraswathi - 9 years ago
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