The answer to the all-encompassing question of “Life, the Universe and Everything” may indeed turn out to be a mundane number as per Douglas Adams, but there is a good candidate available – food. After all, it is food (and water next) that sustains life. But in spite of the massive number of options available, there is always the lingering and nagging question that manifests itself every single day: What do we make for ____ (insert meal of day here) today?
Of course, the question is rendered moot if the more fortunate amongst us have somebody else (mother, grandmother, house help, etc) to take the decision, but for the rest of the populace there is no escape from menu planning. The decision can be taken in a number of ways, with the outcome not necessarily dependent on the choice taken.
Number 1: By consensus, with everyone (not restricted to family, and including pets) in the house chipping in with ideas. The pressure on a single person is thus reduced but there is a high probability of matters descending into chaos when each person wants something different. At the end, everyone either accepts what was decided, or the cook needs to go into ‘universal appeasement mode’, testing the patience limit especially on weekday mornings. The time at which meetings take place, and their duration, depend on the amount of interest shown by each member and the general level of planning that goes into the household kitchen.
Number 2: At random, by concocting something from whatever ingredients come to hand. This is the classic ‘Let’s open the fridge and see what’s there’ style, and often produces the greatest range of reactions from those at the receiving end of impulsive creations. Imagination or the lack of it can be debated, but this method is usually effective and gets the job done. Too much whining can result in the roles being reversed and thus finding oneself in the kitchen having to prepare the next meal at an inopportune moment, so tolerance is a handy virtue to have.
Number 3: Mood-based, where the nature of the dish (and its taste) depends on the state of mind of the cook. This sort of situation tests the person’s mettle, and skill-levels generally come into play, having a large bearing on the final outcome. An excellent cook, despite having an off day, could produce a better dish as compared to a not-so-talented cook in prime form. One can only pray and hope that what arrives on the plate will sate the palate.
One particularly vexing problem is that of the lunch box. Be it school, college or office, there is no respite from providing this weekday meal of day. The nature of the cooking changes with the destination and the age group, and if a person from each category is present, it makes it so much harder. That said, it is not uncommon to see the trend of decreasing lunch box appearances as the person grows older. However, it has been a constant nuisance in our house for generations. My grandfather used to carry his lunch box to work well into his seventies before he finally ‘retired’. It genuinely amazes me as to how my grandmother – and now my mother, who also continues the tradition as my father and I, spoilt silly by years of eating good home food, only occasionally have lunch outside – tirelessly toiled away each morning, preparing the box with the devotion that only maternal instincts can muster. The efforts do pay off I suppose: the look of envy and desire when somebody eyes a tasty treat in your box, is a priceless source of pride. For that is the magic of food – it can unite people together unlike anything else in the world can.