Pia was quiet tensed ,for the first time in her life she was going to prepare parathas for dinner,
last nights verbal spat was still fresh in her mind, she had served half done fried okra, saltless dal to her hubby with chapati which was hard like papad. Just because she was fasting that evening she didn’t had any clue how bad the meal was, but if her hubby threw everything and ordered pizza it must have been unpalatable.
Pia got married as soon as she finished her studies so she never got time to learn cooking skills from her mom. Now while kneading dough she could hear her fathers words in her mind which had become quiet frequent whenever she was home for hoilidays “Please teach her to cook or she will just mess up things after getting married ." This was the third time she was kneading the dough but again the dough was sticky. Pia was so much engulfed in her own thoughts that she didnt hear the phone ringing .Wiping her hands in her apron she rushed to picked it up.
She heaved sigh of relief when she heard her mother’s voice on the other end. Pia started crying she just couldnt control her emotions , with hubby around she had not got time to talk to her mother and cry out.
Pias mother knew something was wrong or she wouldnt have cried like this,
Phone conversation
Pias mother :“What happened Beta why are you crying?”
Pia :“Nothing Mamma just missing you all”
Pias mother : “ya i know even i am missing you, what are you doing ?”
Pia : “i am kneading dough but it has become all watery and its sticking all over ,i am feeling so useless that i cant prepare proper day to day meal ,i guess i will have to again prepare rice and dal. I am so bored of serving him the same thing again and again. I am scared what if he tells me please stop cooking for him."
Pias mother :“ do one thing beta come on skype i will help you ."
Pia :“thanks Mamma.”
Pia places her laptop in her kitchen ,focuses her camera to the countertop, collects all the ingredients needed to knead the dough ie wheat flour,water and mixing bowl and logs in to skype
Pias mother : “ beta strain the atta through the sieve and add water slowly and mix.”
Pia does the same as her mother tells her ,she mixes,remixes more flour and water to get firm consistency dough,
Elated Pia thanks her mom.Next her mother asks her to collect the utensils for rolling out the parathas,rolling pin,flour to dust ,oil and casserole lined with foil to keep the parathas warm.
Pias mom : divide the dough into equal parts,roll each part into ball.
Pia is slowly doing the same when the phone rings
Pias hubby :“ I am going to restaurant what u want to eat,i will get for you.”
Pia : “no i am preparing , please dont get food
Pias hubby –“ it must be Dal and Chawal again ,i am sick of eating the same meal twice everyday ,u tried your hands with veggie and chapati but i dont want to eat the same tasteless meal again.This time when we go India i will leave you there for some months, please learn cooking from cooking school and come back.
Pia starts crying and tells her hubby not to get food for her and slams the phone down.
Pias mother was watching everything from skype,she was shocked to see her daughter crying ,but in her heart she knew that her daughter will overcome this.
Wiping her tears Pia comes back to the screen, determined to learn from her mother and impress her hubby.Phone rings again but Pia doesn’t answer..
Pia :“Mamma what next”
Pias mother tells her to roll out each ball and then draws on paper to show her how to fold the paratha
Pias does the same and feels so happy when she gets the triangle shape,her mother tells her to re do the same and apply few drops of oil in semicircle shape and then fold to triangle shape.
.Pias mother could see that Pia was enjoying doing the parathas. Once done for the second time she asks her to put the tava on the stovetop. While flipping the paratha Pia burns her fingers, but she continued doing , determined to learn and show her husband that she can prepare a simple meal.Once done she carefully packs the parathas ,and asks her mother how to prepare simple sabzi of Alloo Gobhis,once done she sets the table,and goes for walk.In her excitement she forgets her cell phone.
Evening when her hubby comes and finds the house emptyhe thinks Pia is gone forever,maybe he was too hard on her ,he should have thought that she is also human being who has emotion. With no mood to eat ,he goes straight to him room.
Pia enters through the main door ,bubbly full of life with flowers in her hand :“oh you are back,you should have buzzed me”
Pias hubby : “where were you, I called you up so many i thought you left me forever”
Pia smiles : " For that i need ticket right?"
Pia hubby : "so you really want to leave me now, i am really sorry , i shouldnt have spoken to you like this.”
Pia :“no ya,i just went to get some fresh flowers ,i am feeling so good today.”
Pias hubby : " good after all what i told u”
Pia : "ya it did me good,anyways lets have dinner”
Pia confidently serves her hubby paratha with sabzi and serves the platter with ginger tea
Pias hubby : "Where did you order this food from ? It tastes like home cooked meal.Now we will order everyday from here you dont worry,I know some basics i will teach you."
To which Pia replied with a smile,"O really , glad to know you liked it since it is from my kitchen prepared by me."
Linking this food fiction to Event
Of Chalks and Chopsticks 6th edition hosted this month by
Jaya of
Spice and Curry and started by
Aqua of
Served with Love .
special thanks to Pallavi my sis for suggesting the title for this .
see u all soon friends,happy blogging.
