Dreams! Now that’s something we all have had at some point of time or the other… most of the people I know dream of the places to visit, the person they love the most, even the question paper to that physics exam tomorrow : )
But ever since I remember, I have just dreamt about one thing, Recurrently. Day after day (no, night after night), ever since I was probably four!
Now what can one dream about for so long, you may wonder? I will answer that question in that article. In fact, I will answer it right away! Food! : )
Yes sir! Food… Khana…. Bhojanam… Oota…. Jamvanu… Sappadu
When I was very small (in proportions too), I used to have really weird dreams with this theme… I used to dream that when I am a grown up and make a house of my own, it will NOT be made of brick and cement but of Gulab Jamun so that I can have it at my sweet (literally) will… Ok now that sounds corny but believe me its true… Every night, I used to wake up in the middle of the night, feeling absolutely starved… Aftermath of an incredibly delicious dream more often than not!
Now for all those who think that the thoughts that we try to suppress very hard during day time manifests itself in form of dreams - think again… I am foodie to the core; it would take a tragedy of Greek proportions to make me stop taking my food seriously. (Honorable exceptions to the rule are Guru Raghavendra, Shiva and Lord Ganesha – Thursdays, Sivarathris and Sankastha Chaturthis that is)
And if you thought dreams are a result of a hidden craving, no sir. I am well fed usually. More than an average normal person too : )
Whatever! As I grew up, the dreams became less comical. No more ice cream filled buses and cherries for hair-bands. Now it usually would be silent anticipation of the festivals. Dream of Uttarayan (Undhiyon and Jalebi), Holi (Gujjiya), Ratha-Saptami (Rice Payasam), Khoyagiri (Pala payasam), so forth and so on!!!
Then move on to college! Engineering days! Exam day blues. Late nights, night outs! Incorrigible that we are, I used to hit the sack around 3 am during the exam time. Around 3:15, there I was tasting sweet dahi before going for the exam :S
There on Infy happened! ENR at Hyderabad was nothing different really. More or less, life remained the same. When I was posted to Bangalore, the 1st thought that leapt to my mind was, “Ayyo! Away from home? What will happen to my food now? No……..”
Luckily after a short duration of hell at a PG, I shifted to a flat with a friend. And my dreams took on a whole new dimension. Here, I was in charge. The master of my life, my destiny (read my kitchen!) So now, it used to be what I am going to cook tomorrow, day after, on the weekends… interspersed with the ones vividly showing me having a hearty lunch at The Chungs or a sumptuous Andhra Meal at Krishna Chinai : )
Then, Sridhar got Pizza Hut in my life! God bless his soul, my life was never ever same after that… Garlic bread spicy supreme, Pizza Exotica with an extra topping of Jalapenos, Apple pie… That became my staple diet for quite a while. And food for thought too… (Literally!) I thought Pizza Hut was IT, but similar to Bill Gates winning a 100 Million $ lottery, Deeps took me to Sweet Chariot! He He He…
Mom and dad are not happy about both of these developments. I wonder why though!
Then, a brief transfer to Hyderabad, and back to Bangalore. : ( Work work and more of it. Except for a rotten project at Hyd, I have never worked so hard. Life became a series of running to office, flat, home@hyderabad, The Forum, Sweet Chariot and hitting the sack drifting into a dreamless stupor, waking up to the run on the subsequent day!
At one level, I was happy…. I mean nothing is more stupid than telling everyone that all I dream of is food. (ok! Don’t ask me how I am blogging it for the whole world to see! That’s not the main topic! :P) We all have to grow up sometime or the other, right? I thought this was my becoming of age or whatever! I missed the *golden* days and terribly so… but I let it pass. After all, that is life. Letting bygones be bygones.
This weekend, I was at work on Saturday. Had to settle for a juice at lunch due to lack of options (bhookhi marr jaungee but no compromise on the quality of food!). On my way back, a sudden thought struck me! I wanted to have Upma! The way mom made it. Half an hour later, it became a strong desire. An hour later, I could walk no longer. A glass of Watermelon juice isn’t obviously enough to sustain me till 19:00:00. “Kathi Rolls” the board ahead read. Barged right in and had a Roll + Cold Coffee. Thanks for the dinner, buddy!
Sunday 19-03-2006 03:15:00 – Archana making Upma for breakfast! She is frying the suji in the pan. She had cut the vegetables in long slices. Adding oil to the pan….
Sunday 19-03-2006 09:15:00 –
Archana: Srilu! Wake up! You will late for your appointment or else.
Srilu: (Brushing her teeth in the hallway) – Good morning!
Archana: (Smile) – Good Morning!
Srilu – When did you get up? (Glances at the pan and starts laughing) So you made Upma after all…
Archana – Ok, enough. I have made Upma for breakfast! You have it while I go and brush my teeth!
Srilu – Archieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee… Don’t tell me you walked right into the kitchen from the bed?!!?
(Sheepish grin)
Now just a second… Who was that talking about growing up and all?!!?
