Luchbox Woes

Lunchbox Woes

Necessity they say is the mother of invention- how truly remarked and how apt it is,is something I have discovered in recent times !

One might wonder in what way is the proverb even distinctly related to lunch – well, here goes. My offspring ( one of the many” always-in- a rush” officegoers of this bustling metro ) is blessed with a micro tummy and a tongue that has macro fussy tastebuds! She exhibited an unusual taste for raw potatoes as a two year old. She was caught on the sly, biting into a raw ,unwashed potato covered with mud ! Thankfully, she outgrew it before she turned three !

Coming to the present- she has two lists which comprise of a) Don’t pack into my luchbox, and, b) can pack into my lunchbox. The length of the former exceeds the length of the latter ! On her list of “don’t send, “ lady fingers tops the list followed by cabbage, cauliflower,all types of beans, brinjals, marrow, pumpkin, rasam, drysabzis , parathas, pulao, lime rice,tomato rice ,cauliflower parathas ,mooli parathas ,kootos (((vegetables and lentils in coconut gravy )Vetc-the list is virtually like Hanuman’s tail . The “can send” list has potatoes, palak, green peas, bitter gourd ,chappathis with select gravy sabzis such as mutter paneer, palak paneer, alu palak, alu mutter,channa masala, pav bhaji,alu parathas ,channa rice (my own devised recipe which she lovesl)lloves !) and curd rice.(which the Madrasi tongue cannot do without! )This list though not sweet is definitely short !! Finally I am left in a state of perpetual confusion as to what to make ! For obvious reasons (ha, ha !) potatoes or chickpeas cannot be repeated too often !. Over the past few years this kind of demand has necessitated in constant innovation on my part thus inventing all kinds of delights as well as disasters !

On one occasion, fenugreek leaves combined with boiled white peas and coconut was an instant hit not only with my daughter but also with her colleagues who tasted it. However, some innovations do meet with disastrous results! Yesterday, my jigar ki tukdi came home with her veg box full – even before I could ask her about it she accusingly turned around and remarked “‘Don’t ever send this preparation of cabbage and white peas. The minute I opened the box, the smell was so overpowering that I had to shut it before someone demanded a room freshner. “ So much for my overconfidence in culinary inventions- figuratively speaking I did have to eat a humble pie !

Moral of the story-Necessity may be the mother of invention but an invention gone wrong indicates Love’s Labour Lost !