There is no food like Home Food!

People tend to go through Six phases in life. First phase is when you’re too young to know what is being shoved down your throat. The second phase is when you refuse to touch certain items because of the way they look or smell (also known as being fussy – a phase I never went through). The third phase involves eating whatever your Mom cooks while managing to grumble all the while (usually during school days). Fourth phase depends on whether you have the (mis)fortune of having to stay in hostel for 3 or more years. During this stage, people manage to grumble all the while, eating the occasional 20 chapatis or so. The Fifth phase involves new found freedom and money, splurging on junk food and longing for Mom’s cooking. The Sixth phase, for men involves, learning the rather difficult skill of eating what the wife cooks while keeping their mouth shut. For women, it might involve either slaving over the stove, or for the more enterprising ones, watching TV while their husband slaves over the stove.

I’m going to focus mainly on phase Five as that is the one I’m currently going through and hence, the one I’m most familiar with. Restaurant food is tasty. You get to choose what you want to eat, eat paneer or chicken or whatever it is you fancy everyday, hang out with friends, and have a good time.

But, too much of anything is bad, and as time passes, one tends to get sick of the Paneer Butter Masala and the Tandoori Chicken. And that is the time when one starts to yearn for the rice & dal or the soft fluffy idlis or phulkas which mum used to cook. Visits home tend to be eagerly awaited. And rest assured, those (un)lucky among us to gain weight at the drop of a hat, tend to return after their sojourns considerably heavier.

There is also a sea change in Mum’s attitude. The irritated look she used to wear during phase Three whenever her son/daughter used to grumble, changes to uninhibited love as she pulls out all stops to cook all her child’s favourite dishes. However, a slightly long stay at home will bring back traces of the irritated look and hints about the date of the return journey.

As this yearning for home cooked food increases, people turn to friends who are locals and binge when friend’s mums play hostesses. Any invitation is jumped at, be it for dinner, or tea.

Another phenomenon which has caught on in the South, particularly near where IT companies are located, is that of the Andhra Mess. Since the IT industry is flooded with people from Andhra Pradesh, a few enterprising business men have started dishing out home-cooked Andhra ‘meals’ – which may not consist of more than plain rice, sambar, and a curry or two. They tend to be moderately priced and the patronage is unbelievable. It is a sure fire way to mint money for the owner of the Mess, and the customers get to have simple food that tastes like what they are used to eating at home. Win-Win for both!

The Udupi hotels are another variety of this, but they tend to stick to the Idli-Dosa-Vada combinations. Kerala hotels, Gujarati Bhojanalays, Marwadi eat-outs, and places offering Jain food also have the same principle – Simple food that doesn’t torture your stomach, and gives you a feeling of being at home even though you might be thousands of miles away even if its for an hour or so. This was one feeling I felt when I visited Sree Annapurna of Calcutta. People tend to eat as well as socialize.

The success of Indian food stores in the US & UK can also be attributed to the same phenomenon. It is said, you never really miss anything till you lose it. The food which mum served everyday at home was taken for granted. We need to be away from home to realize its true worth.

Healthy, tasty,fulfilling and filled with Love. A mix of ingredients, which no other food can match. Home food is the best! I’d personally have mum’s dosas than the ones that Saravana Bhavan dishes out. Their sizes are comparable, but the rates charged by Saravana Bhavan make you wonder if the same amount could have bought you a decent life insurance policy.

Those of you away from home will be able to relate more to this post. Those of you in phase Six, Tough luck. Maybe if you stay away from your spouse, you might start liking that food too!

Cheers!

Disclaimer: The above post is not intended to be an advisory for couples & the author refuses to be held responsible for any fights that may arise at home between members in Phase Six due to anything that may be mentioned in this post.