Food As An Emotion — Redefined. By Rithika Palayi
By: Culinary Club Vit
Tags: Food, Cooking, Culinary, Vit Vellore 2021, Moms

By Rithika Palayi

My mom and I are both alphas, alright? Not in our worlds, might I add. We try prevailing like that in the household conditions. Which never works out, and we end up in an argument. Like I mentioned, we’re both alphas. No one’s backing down here. I probably should, but I don’t. But what’s the fight-breaker for us? FOOD! Some or the other meal comes up at that time and bam, we talk again.

The three magical words “I am sorry” can’t beat the “Come on, the food’s ready”. And I’m pretty sure all of your heads are bobbing in agreement.

Food, very obviously, holds an important place in a household. But it’s also the reason for three very prolonged discussions in my home. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! You guessed it right, people.

What do I cook for breakfast?

It’s seven in the morning, you’re mildly and slowly coming out of your sleep (seven seems a little unreal but come on). Your godly mother appears in front of you just to pose that one damning question. “What do I cook for breakfast?”

Doesn’t seem very godly now, does she?

Now imagine that question with just a variation of the words ‘lunch’ and ‘dinner’ in the place of breakfast. And this is every day.

I just say, “Eh. Whatever you want, just don’t pester me ya, mom.” And she quietly goes away too. But what she asks us so that she can cook and give us the food we like.

According to me, these little questions open up a huge window for conversations at any time of day. Because every time my mom asks me what to cook, we go on about all those dishes I like or the ones that she cooks too flawlessly, and I think it also connects me and my mom very greatly.

Thanks to the dilemma, my mom opened YouTube and started looking at “easy breakfasts”. Guess what? She’s now making three new dishes! But we, at our home, call them Omelette, Omelette yellow, and Omelette two, because why not?

What I find beautiful is the fact that while we were waiting for her to try it out, all of us crowded up in the kitchen and were having one of the most fun brainstorming sessions regarding the names.

But I can never forget the first bite of every meal of every day because it’s what I absolutely love. My mom, actually no mom has ever said, “I’ll not make potato fry. I’ll cook something that I like today.”

It might look like I’m making a big deal out of one question, but it is a big deal to me. These days, when we’re all cooped up in our rooms with our laptops and phones due to classes and whatnot, she’s that one air pocket, popping into the room and asking what to feed us.

I think one meal means a lot in a home. It means that the mom might have sacrificed something that she likes because you asked for chole bhature. It is one of the greatest conversation starters when there’s been a fight in the house. And that one question makes us all remember what all mom could cook and how her abilities could never be defied.

I suggest something, and dad goes on about some story associated with it, my brother and I laugh, and my mom is mixing the batter while we’re all sitting on the kitchen counter. And at that moment, I feel sorry for having brushed off the question all those days.