It was a calm and quiet evening, the rustic bench I was seated upon creaked slightly as I shuffled through the pages of my manuscript, which had unhinged quite inconveniently from the clip I had so carefully stored for many years.
The pages lay strewn about, few on the bench. Some under a flask of half finished coffee and a few on the grass over a table cloth with the remnants of my sandwich and an empty mug. The evening was perfect for working – the dusk setting in, the grass freshly mowed and watered, the only source of light was the mercury street light right above me and the cool wind brushing my face.
I was quite immersed in my own little world, being one of the few days I had decided to introspect and tune off. When suddenly the silence was broken by a boisterous group of young un’s making their way about in a swanky car, music blaring. They had probably just backed out from the building opposite to where I had parked myself, when the driver stopped the car to yell out to someone in his house on the 8th floor and throw down his wallet. In a few seconds a silhouette of a woman drew a curtain and threw out not only his wallet but a wad of what looked scandalously like currency notes. Not a care in the world, the young un got back in and slammed the accelerator as the car made it’s way through the turn in the road.
I got back to my work nodding my head despairingly, when a few minutes later I caught a glimpse of a frail old woman sitting squat legged on the ground beside the same car where the previous little skit had unfolded. She held a stick (to ward off strays or birds), a gunny sack probably filled with her basic belongings and a look of utter loss on her lined face. I sat there wondering where she had come from as she did not seem a rag picker / beggar but definitely homeless.
I continued to work, with only silence as company and the hazy bokeh of the old woman in the corner of my eye. A couple of hours later, I got up to make my way home. I see her sitting right there, dazed and lost. She had not moved an inch, and was just mindlessly thwacking her stick on the ground next to her. I decided to go up to her and find out what was going on.
I made my way quite placidly towards her and gently asked her in Hindi – what was she doing here. She looked up after what seemed like ages and just nodded. A little prodding as she seemed to really not have anywhere to go – she finally poured out her story. She had just lost her husband to an illness she knew nothing about, her only son had wiped off whatever little they had saved and disappeared and her home was taken away by some heavy weight, nasty landlord. She had decided to take whatever little she had and make her way through to a village in Gujarat where she was born and hopefully by then die in peace. She had managed to reach the station (which is about a kilometer) but had no money to buy a ticket. She had tried begging but had only managed to gather a few coins which were not enough to buy a ticket. She had slept at the station for a few days before she was hustled out by some construction workers and had wandered here.
I look at the extremities of these situations which unfolded before me in a matter of hours and think to myself of the disparities of life one shows you. Yes, I am blessed to be on the other side of the spectrum with education, a family, job, money – a life. But I begin to wonder what is the meaning of all the things we actually take for granted.
It is not the first time I have thought about this, and I am sure many of you do too when you look at the difference which is so glaring in our part of the world (and across the earth, if I may say so). Is it so that we are conditioned to overlook the situations which do not affect us? Do we give way to other stressors of life which take over? I think we do. We all fight a battle everyday, reaching a conclusion of either a failed attempt which leads us to doors which remain closed or open new aspects of ‘life’ which teach, humble or enlighten. There must be a million stories out there like these where you see how life unfolds and are quite oblivious to it, except yours. But if there is one thing you can gain, is to introspect and seek a path which always keeps you grounded and be a better person – especially if life has given you the advantages you need.
It has been a while since I have written in here. I usually have some anecdote or my thoughts make way for inspirations which allow me to create the dishes I put up here. The past few months have been a circle of events which have not really inspired my cooking but have me going back to old recipes which I have either worked on or written. My strive to improve older recipes (like this Red Italian Sauce, which I love and is a popular one amongst my followers) or work on the several projects I am involved with, my thoughts are more towards the churning out of recipes than thinking about the observations I make in life and writing them down.
While you may think that the two stories above really don’t fit in here, if you know me well, you’d know that my blog began as a journal for my thoughts and memories I write to be stowed away for my own future and how I look(ed) at life. Whenever I have an epiphany or an incident which makes me look at my own life a little bit more closely, I tend to write it down. Oftentimes materializing into a recipe which accompanies my thoughts.
When something disrupts my rose tinged outlook, I seek it as a sign to be a better me. Even if it means just writing stuff down so someone, somewhere might read it and change some way of their thinking.
I worked on this delightful dish many many moons ago. It is a cold salad / side of sorts which is perfect as a takeaway. From a picnic dish to an open air meal. This roasted goodness can be had cold or warmed over an open fire and had with some crusty bread and a flagon of cold white wine / beer. It is one of the few dishes which I throughly enjoy even in the comfort of my own home but is definitely one to impress the outdoor revelers in you / with you.
Picnic Roast
Ingredients
- A Pack (200-250gms) White Button Mushrooms
- 100 Gms Cherry Tomatos
- 2 Green Peppers
- 20 Pearl Onions (skinned)
- 2 Green Chilies (slit)
- 100 gms Green Peas
- 1 each – Zucchini, Carrot, Broccoli head
- Any other vegetable you may like to add (option is yours)
- 4 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 tablespoon Red Chili – Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Parsley
- 8 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning (mixed herbs + garlic powder + salt)
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- A vegetable / chicken stock cube (crumbled & optional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Crusty Bread or Pita Breads to serve.
Method
- Pre heat oven to 190C.
- Dice the larger vegetables and halve the smaller ones and place into a large mixing bowl
- Whisk all the ingredients after the balsamic vinegar along with it in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the vegetables with the marinade and give it a good shake. Test for salt.
- Layer this on a parchment covered baking sheet. Layer in a single file with as less overlaps as possible.
- Pop in the preheated oven and slow roast for a good 30-40 minutes or till the edges of the shrooms start turning brown. If the other veggies are not cooked through, its fine you ay finish it later when you take it outdoors on a grill or open fire (in a roasting pan) or even have it cold with a little bite to the vegetables.
- I usually fill up individual glass canisters with a seal for guest portions as they are easier to eat and a great accompaniment for the various knick knacks you may carry for that outdoor meal / picnic.
…I eventually bought the ticket to her village for her and ensured she had sat in her berth.
Three days later I read in the news of a horrific crash in which a group of students had been maimed. It turned out to be the same car and the people in it which had zoomed off from where I was sitting.
In the end what really counts is how you would like to leave this world. That death isn’t what is in your control but when destiny calls the shots and how you lead through with it, is all that matters.
You can either be the difference or make that difference!
Nonchalant Notes
Enjoy this delicious roast with your Holiday Roast this season – from Sunday to Thanksgiving to Christmas, I am sure you will land up making this ever so often
