Twenty- five Seven

On being a good host

June 8, 2022

Everyone of my generation is familiar with the story of the stork and the fox. For those of you who aren’t, here’s a brief recap:

Once upon a time ( don’t you love starting stories like this ?) there was a fox who invited the stork to dinner .

The stork willingly accepted and went to the fox’s house all dressed up, eager to experience the fox’s hospitality.

When they sat down to dinner, Mrs Fox brought out her best silver dishes with the famous food that the Fox family was know for.

The fox looked at the feast but was unable to eat a morsel for the food was served in flat dishes.However, being a polite guest, he tried to nibble at something and finally thanked the Foxes for their hospitality and left for home.

A few days later, the Foxes were invited to the Storks’ for dinner and were treated to a sumptuous meal. This time the Storks served the finest fish in their finest china – exquisite vases from the Qing dynasty that were perfect for them to savour the food with their long necks and beaks reaching down to the bottom.

This time it was the Foxes’ turn to go hungry but not before they realised that a good host always tries to make his guest comfortable.

The good host

Taking a cue from this story, Hubby Dear tries to take it to the next level. Not only does he insist on giving the guest what he would like, but he also insists on giving the guest food that he is familiar with .

So today, I am entertaining an important overseas visitor with Biryani and Raan since the gentleman happens to be a Muslim of Indian origin.

“Surely won’t that be akin to carrying coals to Newcastle?” I asked Hubby Dear.

“Of course not ! You should give a guest what he likes,” and he reminded me of a family story of his Uncle, the Important Government Official.

That story goes like this :

Uncle appeared promptly at 7 on the due date and the assistant and his wife welcomed him warmly and the appropriate amount of deference. Pleased with the Assistant’s attention to detail by providing his favourite whiskey ( even though the hosts were teetotalers) Uncle settled down and looked quite comfortable in his subordinate’s house.

Once upon a time, when Important Uncle’s wife was away visiting her parents, he was invited to dinner by his Junior Assistant who happened to be a traditional, orthodox Brahmin from the South.

He beamed when he was led to the place of honour on a well appointed dining table laden with a sumptuous spread.

With the starched napkin tucked into his collar, he was about to tuck into the first course when it struck him that all the food was vegetarian!

Not withstanding the fact that the meal was delicious and well prepared, Uncle was offended. Adopting a reprimanding tone, he expressed his disappointment to the vexed Junior Assistant .

“When you come to my house,” he thundered , “ I go out of my way to ensure you get a vegetarian meal.Surely you could have taken some effort to ensure I have something non- vegetarian in my plate?”

The poor Junior Assistant stammered his apologies and quickly asked his wife to request the next door neighbours to whip up a masala omelette.

Thankfully, in these days of Swiggy and Zomato, one can easily set such a lapse right within an hour but I do hope my dinner guest tonight appreciates and enjoys the home-made non-vegetarian fare served tonight.

Ciao
Summer time

June 5, 2022

Obviously Cliff Richards’ famous song Summer Holiday wasn’t meant for me though at one time it was one of my favourites. Unlike most people, summertime for me is not a beach holiday or an escape to the hills. Nor is it a trip abroad or a visit to a distant relative .

An arterial road is empty

I’d much rather stay back in my city of Mumbai which is itself on a holiday with most people having abandoned it for their vacations. While most of India is heating up in wave after wave, I can enjoy a warm breeze while I look down on its empty streets bereft of bumper to bumper cars and incessant sounds of horns, drill machines and the noise of busyness.

Airing out my saris today made me feel that life was returning to normal. For two years during the pandemic I didn’t feel like doing this traditional summer activity .

Yes , summer is the time for goofing off with a book, scouring the bazar for mangoes to be pickled and of course giving my precious saris a bit of air

Sari Pride

I think saris are the most elegant garment ever discovered. They fit all sizes and shapes and can double up as sheets and blankets and even a towel to wipe off one’s hands while working.

Of course blouses are another story because unlike most people, my blouses shrink with every wash. That’s the reason why many of my saris have lain unworn for the past two years. Especially the silks with threads of gold as there have been no weddings or celebrations thanks to the Dirty Old Virus stalking our planet relentlessly.

But I love my saris that have been collected over the years : saris to mark occasions like my own wedding, the birth of my girls, a memory of a holiday, gifts from friends and family or just an indulgent purchase. Many of them are now getting to be vintage pieces and I hope to pass them on as heirlooms.

But they needed to be aired and given a good shake and I had very few days to do it before the monsoon struck.

Airing and wearing

Actually it was a chance visit to Jo’s house last week when I saw her living room sofas adorned with precious silks, that reminded me that my own saris hadn’t seen the light of day for two years now .

So I pulled them out of my trunk and draped them all over the house. Hubby Dear of course despaired the fact that the only place he could read his paper remained the floor and told me to wear them and air them instead!

Of course I didn’t listen to him and let the saris hog all sitting space for two whole days.

Finally, when I felt each sari had enough, I began keeping them back .

For two consecutive afternoons while the whole house slept, I carefully checked each sari for tears, rips, loose falls and tiny insects that somehow love saris. Then I patiently ironed each one and folded them away, in a different fold this time and kept them away with some natural insect repellent like cloves.

And ironing 6 yards of silk isn’t easy -especially when you have to fold them just so without burning the gold threads or pulling at the intricate brocade work.

And I felt my saris smiling back at me as I kept them back in the trunk, wrapped in a cotton sheet and a sachet of lavender to keep them smelling good and fresh.

But there was a sense of calm, while I did the work and as they piled up in perfect folds that would have made Marie Kondo proud, I felt happy. I felt good.

Does airing your clothes make you feel energized and rejuvenated ?

Ciao
Thoughts on a Monday Morning

May 30, 2022

So the merry month of May is coming to an end.

And with it the famed Alphonso mango will bid farewell. As will the flaming red Gulmohars and glorious yellow cousin the Rusty Shield bearer .

Alas this year, the blooms have been fewer and the heat hotter. Can heat be anything but hot ? Yes it can be less hot than what it is now.

Day breaks at 5 and the darkness dissipates slowly so that by 6 when the sun is up, the Koel has already started its wake-up call.

It’s been quite a while since I woke up before the sun. Almost a month to the day when I woke up to catch an early morning train for Pune.

The air is still and the fan whirs slowly. I wonder if I should get into a Yoga stretch or go back to bed till noon!

Well, I did wake up and spend the day in a pretty amazing way. A singing workshop for kids took me to the end of town in the middle of the day.

A sign of the times : if this was the distance we were meant to keep, there wouldn’t be any workshop would there ?

Though the place was air conditioned it was a ridiculous time for a kids’ activity – right at lunch time. Obviously it was planned by either a Britisher ( mad dogs and Englishmen) or by a childless anorexic.

This was followed by a light lunch or TUNCH ( if a meal between breakfast and lunch is brunch , the meal between TEA and lunch is TUNCH)!

At 3.50, it was hard to keep my eyes open so I had to take a 10 minute nap before the swim class to cool down after yet another hot day .

How was your Monday? Busy? Restful? Happy?

Take care and ciao.