Wishing
Good Night after Breakfast
“Get
the table ready for breakfast,” my mother tells Leelakka, the kitchen helper.
Leelakka
pours hot water into the jugs and places the steel plates and tumblers on the huge
red wooden table
She
also brings in the hot case with idlis (the steaming rice and lentil
cakes), a small vessel of ghee, and steaming sambar in a steel
bowl. Afterwards, she also puts a bowl of curd and a platter of grated carrots
and cut fruits down.
The
seven of us sit around the table. We serve ourselves and chat over breakfast.
It’s been three days since my children, and I landed in India.
In
America, we have cereal or toast and eggs for breakfast. There is always fruit.
Sometimes the kids opt for waffles, bagels or pancakes with maple syrup. How they
love the American breakfast.
In
my parents’ house, there are no breakfast cereals
It’s
Friday morning in India. There is a scheduled menu for what is served for
breakfast every day of the week.
Monday
and Friday, it’s idlis. Tuesdays, it’s upma. Since upma is not a
favorite of many it is accompanied by a choice of fresh baked toast and
egg. Wednesdays, its chapatis. Thursdays, appam and on Saturdays,
it’s my favorite poori and potato masala.
“What
would you like to drink?” Leelakka asks us.
My
father likes coffee, and my cousin wants milk with Bournvita. Mother, my
kids and I want tea.
All
of the doors are open. A warm breeze passes intermittently through the dining
area. Our dog, Bodie, stands in the doorway looking at us and wagging his tail
hopefully.
“Leela,
throw him a poori,” Appa says, and Leelakka throws a Poori to Bodie. He leaps
up and catches his treat. What a good start to his day! He then races off to
chase the crows, who are outside making a racket for their poori, too.
Every
morning Mom feeds the crows and other birds. Today, with her grandchildren
around, she seems to have forgotten her feathered friends. They cry out in demand. When my children were toddlers,
they loved feeding the birds. They’d call out to crows, mimicking their caws.
The
phone rings. It’s tone clearly indicates it’s from my husband, who remained
behind in New York. It is bedtime for him.
“What
are you having for breakfast?” he asks me and then quickly adds, “Let me guess!
It’s Friday morning, and you are having idlis.” I can hear his smile.
“Correct.”
I return the smile.
“I
had Honey Bunches of Oats with milk for my breakfast. Tomorrow, I’ll make egg
and toast.”
I
recognize his tone. He’s missing the breakfast we are having.
“What
did you have for dinner?”
“I
had rice with chicken curry.”
We
talk for a while, before the kids take turns chatting. They keep him posted
about our journey.
“Good
night, dear,” I disconnect the call, and head back to finish my breakfast. Time
to start my day.
Index:
Idlis - fermented batter of lentils and rice made into steamed rice
cakes. Served with sambar, a lentil vegetable curry or chutney-paste of coconut
and other ingredients.
Dosa - similar to pancakes made of a similar batter as of idlis
Appam is a fluffier form of dosa served with stew of vegetables or
tomatoes.
Upma is dish made of cracked rice or wheat and seasoned with onions,
chillies, mustard seeds.
Poori is deep fried wheat flour bread served with any curry but
commonly with potato masala.
Ghee - clarified butter.
Masala - similar to curry. Potatoes boiled, mashed and seasoned with
onions, ginger, chillies etc.
Bournvita - chocolate milk powder
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