A Genuine Question…

There is a question that haunts me daily, plagues me daily and demands an answer daily. In fact, an answer is mandatory as leaving the question unanswered is not a choice. I spend a good time of the day on it, pondering over the various possibilities, the options, the pros and cons, the smiles and the frowns that would be generated because of my decision…

Well, the question, I ask myself daily (and sometimes my mom or sisters and even friends) is “What should I cook today??

While, I can eat whatever edible is available, the same cannot be said about the 2 men of our clan. The Senior is a Master Chef’ by passion and loves to cook and eat ‘good’ food ALL the time, the Junior is a bit fussy and is closely following his dad’s footsteps in this field.

So, the kitchen is out of bounds for me on the weekends. I am secretly very very happy about it. And the best thing is that I do not get worked up now-a-days, on seeing the hurricane-hit- kitchen after the Master Chef has created ‘magic with food’ in the kitchen. But the remainder of the week, it is my responsibility to create that ‘Magic’ which my family needs daily and in liberal doses.

Though, the standing rules on our dining table (formulated by the Senior for the Junior to instil good eating habits), are :

  1. Whatever is cooked has to be eaten.
  2. Whatever is there in the plate has to be finished!

However, these rules do not specify the range of emotions and reactions one can exhibit while following the above mentioned rules. So, one can demonstrate frowns, disgust, anger, hatred or a whoop of joy or smile or that happy satisfied look while eating food.

There are many vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, beans, cottage cheese, green leafy vegetables… gosh that covers all I guess!) which the kid abhors while there are many dishes which do not measure up to KG’s taste bud’s standards, presentation standards, cooking style… Also, there cannot be frequent repetitions too.

I hate TLC, NDTV Good Times, FOX Traveller and Star World for airing exotic cookery shows all the time thereby giving wings to their imagination and whetting their appetite.

I have seen a timetable of dishes to be cooked during the week for all the 3 meals at two of my friend’s homes. I discussed about having such a schedule for us, with KG and it was out rightly rejected for a schedule is monotonous and totally lacked creativity.

I have known some guys who eat anything that is served to them, without a word they’d even eat salt-less and bland food!  Alas, not my boys!

Since, dinner is one meal which we all have together, it’s my utmost and sincere desire to have smiles all around on the dining table. And, believe me managing smiles on the dinner tables while taking care of the likes and dislikes of these 2 men is one tricky task on my hands.

So, that brings me back to the question… What should I cook tonight??

Tags: , ,