Friday 15 March 2013

connections

Death is an event which evokes a sea of emotions. Dear Granddad passed away yesterday.My heart ached for my Grandma who broke down over the phone confiding she lost her playmate for life, whom she squabbled with, scolded, cared for and most of the all lover of all her cooking. Everyone used to feel dear Grandma was strange ..even at the age of 77 she used to watch the afternoon cookery show and cook the same dish for
Grandpa every evening...When my dear better half witnessed this daily ritual, he was so impressed...He simply said it was the sheer love for each other,..her love for cooking her heart out and his adoring way of eating that....
Granddad, Dad, Mom, Grandma,Great Grandma and me on my 56th day


 Although I felt I was not close to them  or the best at keeping contact as I was to my paternal grandparents, I felt a deep sense of loss...One of the nicest memories of good food was always from Grandma's home. Mom always teased me" Even though Chad does not remember what she was doing 15 minutes back, she remembers food , its taste,looks and where she had it from the day she was born....I can confirm she has hit the nail on the head....Let me share my lovely memories with Grandma.. A good 27 years ago, like grandma I hated the late afternoon siestas... Grandma was making Kerala mixture with our maid Omana in the backyard. She was making the noodles with the traditional Noodle maker. I still remember the taste...and then later on adding the lovely seasoning to make the final scrumptious snack...

Years later, I used to feel nostalgic  and wanted to recreate the beautiful dishes which enticed my taste buds...I gathered the recipes and started recreating the smells and tastes which were a part of my grandparents home to delight my baby and Anu...For me ,it was more of a reconnection of the past, the continuation of tradition ....Although we had seldom telephone conversations, the  food she made for me and my earnest attempts to create the same for my baby had kept the relation everlasting...

Dearest friends, many of you must encountered the painful parting of a loved one. Many of us must have wished it would have been great if our children could meet them before they died...There were countless times I wished Anu and Ammu  knew my paternal granddad who left us 20 years ago...But recreating the traditions  and rituals have made them feel he is still with us....It is these traditions which connects our ancestors with our descendants...Festivals, events and food are a witness to this...What do you say?

Love Chad