She took pride in her rava dosai. She made the best, her family claimed. As a new bride, her mother in law had made snide remarks about her dosai making skills. She took up the challenge and in a few months shut everyone's mouth with her rava dosai.
Each dosai took about 4 minutes on medium heat, to turn into golden brown crepes. She had actually watched the clock and turned the dosai. She also knew that buttermilk added to the batter had to be slightly sour to make the dosais taste better. Dotting the edges with a mixture of nei and oil added to the yummy-ness factor. It was a lot of work, especially in the scorching summer months. Standing in front of the stove was no fun. But she did it, she thrived on the praise she got for her dosais. After all, with every dosai she was somehow getting back at her mother-in-law.
Years went by and one day while making dosai it suddenly occurred to her that, she had a choice in life. Her mother-in-law was now long dead and she had no point to prove. All of a sudden she lost interest in making rava dosais. It was hot in the kitchen and above all there was no mother-in-law. No, she was not going to make another rava dosai in her life again. But how does one tell a family that loves rava dosai that they won't get anymore? She tried and felt guilty.
Then she had an idea. She went to the nearest railway station and bought a ticket. She came home and packed her bags. Her family wanted to know where she was going. She told them that she will be back in week and there was no need to worry. She looked down at her ticket. Beside the word 'Destination' it said 'Varanasi'. She would go to Kasi and give up her rava dosai, then no one can request her to make it anymore. She would end it there.
As the train left the station, she suddenly thought if she would have to give up rava, maida, rice flour, jeera, buttermilk, salt, ginger, green chilli, individually or only when they were mixed to make rava dosai? Maybe she will amend her stance and give up only rava. But then how would she have kesari, rava laddu, rava idli or rava pongal. It seemed too much to give up. As she thought about it, she missed her own rava dosai terribly. Those crispy golden brown dosais, with onions, green chillies and corainder. They tasted so good with coconut chutney.
She got off the train in the next station and went home.
Each dosai took about 4 minutes on medium heat, to turn into golden brown crepes. She had actually watched the clock and turned the dosai. She also knew that buttermilk added to the batter had to be slightly sour to make the dosais taste better. Dotting the edges with a mixture of nei and oil added to the yummy-ness factor. It was a lot of work, especially in the scorching summer months. Standing in front of the stove was no fun. But she did it, she thrived on the praise she got for her dosais. After all, with every dosai she was somehow getting back at her mother-in-law.
Years went by and one day while making dosai it suddenly occurred to her that, she had a choice in life. Her mother-in-law was now long dead and she had no point to prove. All of a sudden she lost interest in making rava dosais. It was hot in the kitchen and above all there was no mother-in-law. No, she was not going to make another rava dosai in her life again. But how does one tell a family that loves rava dosai that they won't get anymore? She tried and felt guilty.
Then she had an idea. She went to the nearest railway station and bought a ticket. She came home and packed her bags. Her family wanted to know where she was going. She told them that she will be back in week and there was no need to worry. She looked down at her ticket. Beside the word 'Destination' it said 'Varanasi'. She would go to Kasi and give up her rava dosai, then no one can request her to make it anymore. She would end it there.
As the train left the station, she suddenly thought if she would have to give up rava, maida, rice flour, jeera, buttermilk, salt, ginger, green chilli, individually or only when they were mixed to make rava dosai? Maybe she will amend her stance and give up only rava. But then how would she have kesari, rava laddu, rava idli or rava pongal. It seemed too much to give up. As she thought about it, she missed her own rava dosai terribly. Those crispy golden brown dosais, with onions, green chillies and corainder. They tasted so good with coconut chutney.
She got off the train in the next station and went home.
15 comments:
ticket would say Varanasi, not kasi ilayo.
correct, corrected.
That's a hilarious story :)
:-)
lekhni, I keep wondering what will she do once she gets home.
TGFI, hola!
That was really nice of her to get off the train....life without Rava dosas?? she wouldn't have been able to handle it i'm sure
Thats really nice.. There is no world without rava.. :)
Hail Rava Dosai.. !!
Fine, she decided against giving up eating rava dosai. But did she continue to make them for the family?
I had my first rava Dosa, of all the places, in a South Indian restaurant in Atlanta. While in India (for the 23+ yrs b4 that), i had always dismissed the Rava Dosai as one of the dosais which i would not like and had not even attempted to taste one. Nowadays, that is one of the first items i order!
i don't like ravai dosai. Kesari is the only good product made our of ravai. Upma is also uwackk.
I-sriram,
ithellam correcta therinjikko. when asked to go on kasi yaatrai you don't book varnasi tix.
Raj, That I leave it to your imagination
hawkeye, maybe you haven't had the best rava dosai. i have enough proficiency in the area to call myself "rava dosai queen". For an appropriate amount of money I will mail you the recipe. :-)
Good One Sowmya..! That was simple and fun..!
I just came back from lunch. Really regretting not ordering rava dosai ...
It made a good read. :)
Wouldn't it be simpler to screw up the dosais a couple of times. The family would get weaned off it shortly. She, of course, can continue to have them well-made for herself on the sly ;-)
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