Off the couch and into the kitchen

Attempting a special dish in the kitchen with success is a real-time experience, unlike foodie TV shows

Iknow it's sacr ilegious to show even a sneaking dislike of food programmes on TV but 1 ask for forgiveness in advance, being one of the few who would rathe r not ,·varch them. lt's almost u nheard of to press the 'off ' button o r change channels when cbese programmes are o n. Cooking sh ows h ave taken the airwaves by storm and provided a rich source of content for the media. Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to others enjoying these shows, bm the y are not for me A recem count of shows on eight of the main T V channel s during p rimetime i n a single week showed chat over '10% of peak viewing time between 6- 9pm is devoted to food progra=es. Bur there are a variety of sho~rs li.lmed in all parts of the world ranging from farming on smaU -ho ldings and raising cute, heald1 y animals and birds desti ned as produce, to the art of e n tertainin g wim family and guests having a real jo lly time of it an d, o f course, chefs in kitchens doing d1eir d1ing. What's next, where do producers go from here as they try to leverage every bit of aud ie n ce from this genre? Cooking in o uter space, o n Everest or even w1de1water may be on d1e cards, for our entertainment

There is no doubt that al.I this interest has raised d1e awareness in all aspects of what we eat and how things grow. And d1at is n ot a bad thing Yet obesity ra res o nl y seem to be on the rise in o ur so ciety. A look at newsagents' racks s hows a proliferatio n of magazines on cooking and food, while the internet is awash with biogs, sites and YouTube demon stratio ns of recipes It's almost as if d1ere is a huge industry at man y !eve.ls, and participants have been able to cash in on the coat-tails of chi s interest in food Bue we musm 't lose sight of the fact d1ac mere are only so many peo ple and t.l1ey can on ly eat so much It's not as if more food is being cooked, or is it?

To get an answer to the question above J decided ro take a look at some governmen t numbers They revealed a fascinating picmre. They showed d1at in 2009-20 10 expendjmre on supermarkets and groceries rose b y 2% over d1e previous yea r, but well be low d1e long-term trend. The concl us io n is that te.lative ro prev ious years, peo ple mu se be co oking less or us ing cheaper ingredients. A nd wou.ld you believe ir, the next set of numbers showed that me g rowt.11 in expenctiture on takeaway foods, cafes and res taurants had skyrocketed and m ore or less doubled i t.~ long- term trend Thjs tell s us at least two things Of course, d1e more prosp erous the economy, the m o re people will eat our. T o me cbjs ties in with a visi on of people sitting armmd in cafes and restaurants with d1eir smart phones and iPads, and mjs is more o r less what one can see m ost times o f the day But what stick s out like a sore dmrnb if one be ljeves the numbers, is that pe o ple must be cooking a lot less than they used to, contrary to \vha t o ne m ight ex pec t fro m thi s apparent mushrooming of interest ju cooking. www in dia n li nk.com au

Sharing a mea.l with friends i s undoubted.ly one of the real pleasures of l ife. When all the food has been cooked and enjoyed, good - byes said and the guests have go n e, yo u sit at me table and drain that la st si p of wi n e t.l1at remains in your glass. It's peaceful n ow and yo u sic i n qu iet contemp lation o f d1e evening and men reali cy strikesyi kes, mese endless piles of dirty plates and glasses Yes, clearing-up is next. Ever an integral part of co oki ng and entertaining, will we see a show o n d1is part of the process? I do n 't think so!

\Xlh o is to reaLi y say what people are getciJ1g up to in their kitchens and with their eating habits. For m y part, I am grateful to have a nice, square meal every day A while back I had a hanl{ectng for creme caramel. D o you t.l1ink J could find it anywhere - n o, n ot on your life! It surpri ses me that m os t restaurants do not serve d1 is heavenly dessert. l had no cho ice.

I picked up a recipe book, put on an apron and after some h esitation and a lirde tension, r mad e so mething which still had to be mrned upside d own. Plop, out it came. Much to m y delight i t looked just as a creme caram el should, the taste was divine and since d1en my popularity amongst m y family has increased no end. Cooking - l'm beginning to li ke it!

The power ofprayer and faith manifests itself into reality for the true believer

' ~ BY 7 · 1 RANI JHALA

Why do you persist in rormencing me so," Parvati's mother lamented.

"\'qbat have I done now, mother?"

"Tonight is Maha Shivaratri, die great nig ht of Shiva. Ir is a clay of prayer and penance, bur you want co go co the movies with your friends Your presence is needed at home. You can tell )'Our friends tbat you can meet them on another night," she answered.

''Nforner, I have no interest in eidier die prayers or d1e penance. J do nor want anyd1ing, nor am J seeking forgiveness for any wrong," Parvaci replied.

"Of course, you want somed1ing! AU unmarried girls want this. Ao eady marriage and a good husband," Narayani annorn1ced.

''And your Lord Shiva can give me that. In rerurn for keeping me awake a.U night chanting his name, he will bless me w ith a good husband. And will this good husband of mine also be sitcing up aJJ night and praying for a good wife. Or does he have the privilege of having a boon granted wid1out penance?"

"Don't be silly, child, men do not have to ,vorry about that Ir is the privilege of LIS women to seek Lord Shiva's bless.ing," replied her mother.

''Nlum, Dad left you to seek Mount Kailash and his god. What good did you r prayers do for you? If 1 was you, I would ask for compensation," said Parvati

"PARVATl ! Thar is enough!"

Narayani screamed. Then, calming down she said, "Besides, d1at was my mistake. I used to cheat when I was yotmg Instead of saying my prayers I u sed co r ead novels."

" I don't believe you did it And you never got caught?" asked Patvati, astonished that her mother would deviate from her moral path.

''No, we were good at it. But it was not the right thing to have done. AU d1ose novels I read brought me a good husban d bur I was cheated from a long file with him," lamented l arayani.

"Mum, it has noming to do with how well you prayed or how good )'OU behaved. Men are human beings and have human failings and

A huge Shivaling in Kota Rajasthan aspirations. Unlike you, I do not hope for an ideal person. I want him to love me more d1an he loves God," said Parvati.

"1 do not begrudge your father his need for spiritnal enlightenment, for when I finally learnt to pray prope rly l had asked for a husband w ho was wise and who also deeply worshipped my Shiva. \Xie each have our own journey co undertake. A nd l can't complain, he gave me a wonderfo.l daughter and he left us well provided for," Narayani justified.

"1 don't think ir was how you prayed, mum , bur what you asked for d1at may have been you r downfall," Parvati joked, then giving her mum a hug added, .cl must rernember to word my prayers properly if I ever have to deal with your Shiva."

"\'v'ould you rather that l had married a womaniser, an a lcoholic o r an abuse r? My Shiva gave me a good man. I have mud1 to be grateful for," said Narayani stoutly.

For the first rime, Parvati reaJJy looked at her mother. Somewhere between her supe rscicions and her rirua.lism, her mother had fo und srrengdi to fight life's challenges and a faith that sm,v each challenge as a reward. Somewhere in between her praye r and Shiva's boon, she had found peace and forgiveness.

Leaving these sombre thoughts behind, Parvati cominued o n a lighter note, ''\Xfell mum, if Shiva gave you a good man but for a short rime, then we will pray chat I find a ' not so good man' for a longer tio1e."

"There you go, acting foolish again. Don't fool arow1d \vim faith and belie~ m y child. While other girls wrote Lord Ram and Lord Shiva's name on me bilva leaves d1ey offered in prayer, 1 wrote the names of my favourite actors. \XThile tliey made garlands to adorn the Sbivaliog, I made o n e to decorate my hair. And while tliey fasted with sincerity, I would p inch die pm.sad from the shrine or p luck the fruit.~ from the orchard," l arayani recounted wim shame.

Parvati smiled again. Her motber, who never broke a rule, was quite die imp in her youth. Then in an accepting voice she asked, "Ok mum, why don't you cell me what your Shivratri is all about and maybe, if I am convinced, I might join you this year in the poqja."

Narayani had waited for th.is moment for me past five years, in fact, since her daughter's sixteend1 birthday. Grabbing Parvati's arm, arayani led her to die prayer room and sat her daughter down next to her. Then pointing to d1e Shivalin g she spoke of itS significance as d1e creator. Looking at die photo of Shivj i she related die tale of how co save mankind from d1e poison churned out from the ocean, Shivj i drank .i t but held it in his throat, turning it blue and earning him die name Neelkanta - the B lue Throated One. Finally she lifted rue statue of Shiva standing in a dancing pose wid1 a ring of fire around him and told of his cosmic dance, caJJed d1e 'Shiva Tandav', die dance he undertakes to display his omnipotent power as creator, preserver an d d estroyer.

Then s he detailed how t he Shivratri prayers are done. The ShivaJing is first deansed with water, milk and honey, representing tl1e washing away of bad emotions. Then vermilion paste repre.~enting virtue is applied on the Shiva.ling as a reminder to adhere to righteousness. The offering of tl1e hi/Pa leaves is symbolic o f tbe surrender of oneself co die tl1reeeyed deity. This is foUowed by die offering of fruits, which represents the offering of our desires When these a.re given back as. pm.sod, it represents tl1e fulfili11ent of O LU' wishes Incense is burned to purify tl1e air and to symbolically spread goodwill an d success. Lamps are lie to spnbolise the awaking of our inner b e ing and the attainment of knowledge

The Linga is also marked widi the 'Tripw1dra', the three horizontal stripes made by smearing holy ash and symbolising spiritual knowledge, purity a nd penance. A rosary of Rudral,sha seeds beloved to Lord Shiva and a statue of die Cobra sn ake are p laced near.

Parvati listened carefuU y and tl1en asked, 'Why tonight of aJJ nights?"

"Mythology says, Lord Shiva dedared that tl1e rituals performed by his devotees on the 14d1 da)' of the dark fortnight in d1is month please him tl1e most. Scientifically, the planetary positions on chis night are such that there is a powerful natural upsurge of en ergy in the human system. 1ti5 said to be beneficial for one's physical and spirin1al weU-being. l\1Iy m odier believed ir was die night Shiva manifested his physical form into the Linga form Odiers have said it was d1e night Shiva married Parvati, hence girls pray to Goddess Parvati as well. Whid1 is what yo u should be doing, since you are starting so late o n this journe)', It might help you catch up, if you pray to born," Narayani added ~~th a laugh ''Alright mum, but j ust to make it clear, I am go ing to pray because of yo u and not Him," saying tlus, Parvaci bowed in front of die sluine

Narayani looked at her shrine, "~peel me tears from her eyes and said to her lord, ''Yo u have a hard task ahead of you \vith this one. I was a piece of cake."

Just then the doorbell rang Paivati rushed to save her momer the trouble. A stranger faced her, a good - looking one who seemed to kn ow about her for he said immediately, "Parvati, I have a letter from your father. I am a botanist and was stud)~ng plai11s in the Himalayan ranges when I mer your father. As I left, he asked me co personaJJy deliver this letter to hi s wife "

Taking d1e lerter from him, Narayani, w ho had now reached them invited him in.

Even wid1out opening the envelope, Narayani knew what the contents wort.Id say. From a distance, her husband was fulfilling his last role as a fatlier Only that would explain why he had chosen d1 ts day, to send tllis man.

At drnt moment she heard tl1e words that confirmed her belief. "Forgive me, I should h ave introduced m yself earlier. My name is Shiva.raj, Sllivaraj Lingara ja," he said.

The unopened letter feU to me Aoor, escaping arayani's trem bling fingers. Her Shiva was once again granting a boon