The other day I was watching the FRIENDS episode in which Monica made candies for her neighbours as a sweet gesture and a first step towards knowing them (7th season). In one of the scenes, Chandler asks her whether the reason for her becoming a chef was to make people like her. And she didn't answer that.
I used to cook a lot a few years back. Slowly that practise declined because I got more busy with the research and thesis. I still did cook sometimes whenever it became a matter of life and death. e.g. Those days (of the famous 'sleeping sickness') when I slept for 15-16 hours and woke up finally at 2 am. A bowl of khichdi, vegetable rice or tehri, suji ka halwa used to be the frequently cooked items, with the last one strictly for pampering myself. But this 'need-based-cooking' failed to give the usual satisfaction or joy which I used to feel earlier.
And I realize that it does make a difference when you cook for somebody else apart from yourself. Appreciation is just a part of it. I can't explain the actual feeling...but it is something which cannot be compared to anything else. I remember almost all the comments people have made after having alu paratha, chhole, alu-matar, fruit custard, sewiyan, kheer...cooked by me. Not all of them were flattering but i still remember them.
Senthil one of those 'rare' negative comments were made by you. Remember? And Pavi, you remember the day we had plain dal and rice on a sunday evening? Angie I remember your face after you had that khichdi. :)
I miss those days.
The place where I am staying these days doesn't have cooking facility. I wish I got a chance to sharpen those skills once again and revive the long-lost feeling of joy. I wish...
On a happier note, since last few months I have been lucky enough to feel a different kind of joy... the one you get when somebody else cooks for you. Besan ka halwa, homemade chocolate, soya-roll, pasta.... Missing you buddy. I want that chocolate with more peanuts. :)
The moral of this post: I need somebody to either cook for me or let me cook for him/her. :)
Picture courtesy: http://www.nataliedee.com/010203/cooking.jpg
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