Turned Tables

We were all seated at our dining table- husband, third daughter, fourth daughter, and me. The appearance of our two youngest daughters sprung from an urgency to see and spend time with their father. A year of hospital visits and doctors, procedures, prescriptions, and medication ignited the above urgency.

We had somehow realized that the family had become overly concerned about our well-being. They had conferenced together to discuss our future! This materialized from the doctor’s orders to my husband that for the next two weeks, he was not to drive or step out for his usual marketing spree.

At the same time, he had to adhere to a custom-made menu made up of nutritious and healthy food choices. My third daughter is a Nutrition, Health, and Wellness Coach. So, yes, you guessed it, she took charge of this aspect and had long, in-depth chats with her father on the importance of carefully prepared meals, both nutritious and with healing properties. She has the perfect student in my husband, who would listen intently to every word she said. She even plated a sample serving so he could get an idea of the approximate amount of food he was supposed to consume.

Supplements were scrutinized, generic ones were discarded , and only the ones that indicated the precise contents were included. Changes were made in the kind of coffee he was to drink, sugarless and decaffeinated. Daily blood pressure and sugar readings were recorded and a simple exercise regime was implemented.

As parents, we were initially amused by this reversal of roles. We laughed about it in the beginning, but the shooting stares from our daughter silenced un to incoherent giggles! This is serious business, she hollered! We quickly suppressed our laughter and posed all ears to what she had to further say.

Daughter number 4 churned out some amazingly delicious smoothies which were healthy and so good to the palette! I was bowled over, never having been a fan of smoothies in the past. She uses avocado generously in her smoothies, which are healthy and so good on the palette! I was bowled over, never having been a fan of smoothies, something I wouldn’t be able to afford, I told her. She says that’s all taken care of. I said, huh, what do you mean? She says ‘I have made arrangements for fruits and food items to be brought to our home regularly ! I said, what! I couldn’t help feeling a cloak of gratitude at all this attention, and yet at the same time lapping it up!

I have to admit it’s refreshing to be on the other side of the table, on the receiving end! I guess this is what life and family is all about, to care and to be cared for. I’m kind of enjoying it, and at times feel spoilt by so much attention. Never question a good thing, is one of my favorite mantras, and this attention and outpouring of love needs getting used to.

My friends ask me, ” Don’t you feel old with all this fussing about?”, and I say,”No!”, quite vehemently! Instead, we feel extremely privileged! To top it all, my children have taught me the usage and convenience of modern technology . I now know how to pay my bills online, how to transfer funds, how to book a GrabCar, how to order food, groceries, and anything else, you name it! There is still a whole lot more I could learn, and I’m enjoying the journey!

So here’s to ‘growing up’ and ‘tables turned’ !

The Religion of Cooking-

Cooking to me is sacred, almost a religion – and I only realized this just a few years ago. There were times, I must admit when it was almost a chore, deciding what to prepare each day. Most times I would dread going to the kitchen ,thinking of a menu ,opening the fridge to check what ingredients I have and struggling with ideas – and then began the cooking shows on television! What an amazing selection! Right from MasterChef, Nigella Lawson, Chef at Home, Giada, Barefoot Contessa, Scandinavian cooking, Aarti’s Party, Paula Dean, Kylie Kwong and the list went on!

This started a keen stirring in me to want to experiment with recipes. Off to the supermarkets I would go and when I came home with all the stuff I needed, I would go through the recipe I had chosen for that day systematically and so focused, that I only realized very much later, that because  I was so caught up with the technicality of the recipe, I had forgotten the simple joys that cooking should bring to the chef!

This went on for sometime until one day I saw the movie-“Julie and Julia “. This is the story of an American woman, Julia Childs ,residing in France, who was so in love with cooking that after some many years, she succeeded in producing her very own French Cookbook for Americans! This was the result of many painstaking years devoted to experimenting and creating her own homegrown recipes and also working closely with the Cordon Bleu school of culinary skills. Julia’s biggest fan was a young American girl, who took upon herself the challenge  to try out  Julia Childs recipes-one recipe every day for 365 days!  Meryl Streep and Amy Adams played their respective roles to a ‘T’ !!

While I was watching this movie, something stirred within me, and I began to feel a new excitement about cooking! I was very surprised at myself that how could I, after 37 years of cooking for my family, feel this amazing sensation! I couldn’t wait to cook dinner that evening, and the feeling that accompanied me during the whole process was exhilarating in a calm way, almost sacred, like I was performing a very holy and reverent ritual! I began to regard food preparation as a blessing!  I would look forward to meal preparations with a joyful anticipation!

I  began to believe that I should channel all my positive energy into my food preparation and speak blessings over it.  I would sit at the table and serve myself, then place my hands around my plate and pray, asking the Divinity of the Universe to bless it, feeling a sense of profound gratitude for this provision.  Trust me ,it is a most gratifying and uplifting experience !

The preparation and partaking of food became my personal offering to the Divine and in no way would I waste what I had served on my plate. We must inculcate this virtue in every child and the world will be a better place. Todays wastage is tomorrows shortage ! Happy cooking, happy mealtimes !