It is a matter of taste that food is more than a means of nourishment. I believe that the ordained truth is that food is meant to nourish the body as well as the soul. Somehow, it is also a motivating factor; one that allows one to strive. For, why else would there be restaurants, Michelin stars, exotic cuisine and the resplendence of a civilization in her culture and spread.
But cooking is also a science as much as it is an art. That which gets rave reviews in food guides has its roots in the tiny kitchens of the many homes where food is prepared everyday. That is not gourmet cuisine. And most often, it is not the creation of someone artistic. One might even say, it is something that is a means of sustenance. And yet, in that food put together by the mothers of the world lies that 'something' that we get accustomed to and search for in every street corner as well as in every Michelin starred restaurant.
As for me, I grew up on the traditions of a household with a working mother and a continual and persistent lack of time for anything. There never was any time for breakfast. Lunch was cold and Dinner was almost always made to compensate for the lack of nutrition throughout the day. It's amazing how my mother managed to keep us fed at all. For one thing, her motto was fast food with health. Someone today will tell you that, that is a contradiction in itself. The fish was grill roasted or boiled as were the tomatoes and other veggies. The potatoes were never fried but boiled with the rice and then mashed later with herbs and mustard. What appeared on the plate was sometimes almost repulsive to look at and yet it is the food I grew up with and surprisingly keep returning to.
Such healthy, low fat food is one thing; completely unhealthy street food is quite another. And I can proudly say that I have had almost equal amounts of both. And when I did get the occasional food poisoning or once, Jaundice even, my mother sterilized all the crockery in the house, started boiling the water for an extra 30 minutes and went into a frenzy with hygiene or the (apparent) lack thereof in her house. Suffice it is to say that this alone was the single most important factor in my relinquishing street food altogether. I'd rather eat boring food than eat the same boring food served by a worked up mother whose single purpose in life was to drive out all germs. But beyond that, she really cared for us and takes great pains even now. And many years later, her type of cooking is a fad and every other cookery show raves about the advantages of Lycopene in Tomatoes and Omega 3 and Tocopherol in Fish. It is still boring though.
Today, I wonder if she suffers from paranoia. Or maybe I have imbibed some of the germ hating genes that cause me to wash the dish scrub after having scrubbed the dishes or stand in the sun just to imagine the UV rays killing all the germs on my skin or pick on people for their bad habits.
And when I have done all this, I drive out to my favourite restaurant and gorge on the greasiest deep fried food ever and feel quite content. Guilty? No way. I then snub guilt by wallowing in the martyred deprivation of my taste buds by mother for the greater part of my life.
Food is not just about nutrition. It is also for the soul's contentment even if it entails an acne breakout or a prosperous mid-section. Go Food!
