One-pot meals – that used to be my go-to cooking mantra all through my spinsterhood days. It was easy, convenient, and timesaving. Plus, the only person who had to be content with that food was me.
Food Is Entertainment
Things changed, though, after marriage and parenthood. Food became a lot of things besides a means of sustenance. It became a means of bonding, a reason for earning gratitude, an outlet for creative experimentation.
And many a time it even led to exasperation and boredom.
Food Is Love
My daughter is two-and-a-half now. And every time she likes something that she eats, she wriggles with joy. Her happiness and gratitude nudges me to create things in the kitchen – be it Thepla (whole wheat-based Gujarati flatbread made with spices and fenugreek leaves), French toast, cake or Dal-Bati-Churma (fried, savoury balls of wheat dunked in lentils and savoured with jaggery and ghee or clarified butter).
I am not surprised that her favourite playtime activity in the sand, is to make ragi laddu or cakes. She loves scooping out wet sand, tapping it into a cup and moulding it out into a cupcake. She then takes a twig from a broken branch and hoists it like a candle. We sing the happy birthday song, and she applauds and laughs.
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Food Is Bonding
Cooking times have also become educational spaces for her. When I am in the kitchen, she disregards her toy box and strolls in. She insists on sitting on the countertop to see what I am doing.
At times we chat, and she learns the names of vegetables, fruits and spices. She even regurgitates recipes to me that is simple and limited to a few ingredients. But then, I forget that she is a toddler who cannot sit in one place, unattended to. So, she picks up spoons and ladles to play with or insists on rolling out rotis with me. I hand over the rolling pin to her when I am done, and she patiently rolls out a fish-shaped roti that she feasts on, when ready.
made by Medha Sharma for The Ladies Compartment
Grated beetroot with curd or yoghurt is another pick of hers when it comes to food. My daughter loves to see the red of the beetroot, sliding down the grater. She loves to stir in the yoghurt or curd into the grated delight. And before I place it on the dining table, I usually see her mouth smeared with it as she devours a spoonful of it.
Food Is Empowering
But not everything is about what she loves. As she grows up, she is learning to use her power of choice. Milk, for instance, is not something she enjoys having. Every day, a significant portion of the morning time goes in nudging her to finish her glass. It includes closing eyes and counting till ten, tempting her with stepping out for playtime and even singing nursery rhymes for her.
Food Is Fun
Mealtimes also mean being patient and being willing to clean up, again and again. Perhaps, it is her sensory needs that makes her believe that dunking her fingers in gravy or soup is fun. And so, many a time, after every meal, wash time means rinsing her down to the elbow-level. It also means waiting patiently while she finishes one spoonful after another. Convenience makes us ask her if we can feed her. Her growing independence discards our request like a soiled paper towel. We wait for her to finish her plate, and if stars are aligned, to watch her take another helping.
Food Is Everything
And yes, sometimes food and mealtimes are outright dull. One meal ends, and I realize I must plan for another. It makes me hope for weekends off as a parent, just like in the corporate world. But, we all know that there are no paid holidays, no sick leaves, and no time-offs once you’re a parent. So, I trudge along, nag and complain while sub-consciously my mind is planning the next meal of the day.
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