Monday, July 31, 2006

Whats Cookin?

Believe me, being Vegetarian is a curse. And if you land up in an alien land, its even worse. Right from my college days there have been various attempts by my friends and enemies alike to thwart my resolution to stay a veggie. My gang of friends excluding a few hapless souls as Srini and Maaps were strictly non-veggie and so I was used to people lurking around and tempting me. The offer varied from a muttai dosai to a free Chicken 65 or whatever you call it.

The very earliest attempt was made in the year 1987 when I was rushed to a doc by my parents. For one and only time in my life I was thin and the doc looked at me as if I was this famished kid from the slum. He asked my parents to feed me with eggs and fish which of course got rejected flatly. Afterwards I blew to such a huge size that if I had blown in the same proportion I might have been in the Sumo championships.

The simplest solution offered to me on landing here was...start eating chicken and eggs. I have been asked at times if being veggie had something to do with my religion or if like filmy moms or like Gandhi’s mom, my mom too had made me take some vow or that stupid sort. Nope. The reason is plain and simple. I just want to stay veggie just for the heck of it. If you can’t even control your taste buds, what would you do when you are faced with greater temptations(you know what I mean)?

The first time I had my lunch here in Burger King, this was the conversation between me and my roommate
Him: What do you want?
Me (After searching for half and hour in the menu and finding nothing): I will get a veg burger.
Him(to the waiter):Get a chicken burger and a veggie burger without meat and sausage.
Me: Dei, Its a veggie burger rite? Why do we need to say it in particular
Him: You need to or they will add it.
Me: Do they have lot of cows, chicken and lamb in their backyard that they throw it in veggie stuff as well?
him: Dei, You have no choice. Either eat this or start cooking.

Ooops. Cooking? Apart for my culinary skills, cooking was as much alien to me as intelligence was to Bush. Determined I came home and got my mom's cooking diary and got everything ready to make sambhar. After 15 utensils, 1 1/2 hours and tons of patience later...the sambhar turned to a dal. Enna kodumai Saravanan idhu?

Unfazed I tried the next day and this time, I got it right. The journey continued with rasam, Kootu, veg Biriyani, Bisibelabath and so on. Cooking became fun and I was enjoying my new experiment. Well, I shouldnt say that, but I have been a better cook as I would be the first person to throw the food away if its awful and I am still alive after eating self cooked food after a month.

Well, that adds one more reason to break my eligible bachelorhood. :-)

P.S: Completed one year in Blogsville. Thanks to Srini, Vijay and Vani for inspiring me to start it. Some of the favourite ones I blogged are The Grudge, A stupid story, a Drama,a candyfloss, ஒரு புல்லாங்க்குழல் அடுப்பு ஊதுகிரது and so on. Thanks to everyone who has loved and hated me :-)

30 comments:

Ramses said...

congrats on the year.!

vegetarianism, patthi, cant agree more.
naanum some days back oru post pottirundhen, about that.

it's weird how we aren't allowed to haeva personal belief,too, and religion and family has to be broght in always

Aravind said...

gud one da machan

prithz said...

Congratualations Harish!!!! :)

Me also in the same situation only!!! Sometimes, i wonder why ever i am vegetarian. Mc.Donalds la Veg burger keta, adhula beef vechu tharanga. Adha vera i ate without knowing. Whoooooaaaakkkk!!! Sometimes, ppl take things for granted. Ippo lam Mc.Donalds pakkame thala vechu padukarthu illa!!!

Has to be me said...

Firstly congrats on the 1 yr.

Secondly, so glad 2 note tht u r a veggie too. Ive never realised that im such a hard core vegetarian until I went out of India! The v,thot of killing something for a meal sounds barbaric to me! And worse is the looks & the smell...which really puts me off!

And u know whats even worse, some friends try soooo hard to force me eat the same & I flatly refuse. Good thing is now they've given up on me eating NV!!! :D

Nicely written! LOL @ Bush.

Hmmm, so u seem to be a damn goodcook these days eh?! way 2 go!

Krithika said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Krithika said...

congratulations!! on the 1st yr and on bein a bein a gudd cook :)

Krithika said...

grudge is awesome!!

Ramya said...

Congrats for completing one year.very happy to hear that u r still staying a veggie and never gave up ur will on that.nallave ezhuthiyirukka pa nee. nee samaipanu enakku ippo htaan theriyudhu.

Sat said...

'Poeple lurking around and tempting you'....mmm...I didn't know they were getting you into cannibalism! ;)
iru muzhu postayum padichu mudichiduren
couldn't resist this one :P

Ekta said...

hey congrats on the cooking bit!!
and must say I empathise with u..although I eat only chicken and mostly a veggi i have had a hard time while eating out especially with chinese colleagues who eat almost anything!

shree said...

i dont know what to say - but if you feel like eating non-veg, go ahead and do it

Unknown said...

Vegetarian-a irukuradhula naraya advantages irukku. Aana at the same time situation seriyillana (like urs) there is no reason why one should eat non-veg too, especially if there is no religious restrictions.

BTW, i am a non-vegetarian. :D

Vidya said...

God, you are right about life being tough for a vegetarian !! Sometimes, people here in Dallas seem to think that the only options available for vegetarians is lettuce !! If I want to eat lettuce, I would have been a rabbit !!
But if you know where to eat, eating out for vegetarians is also not a bad idea !

Congratulations on a year long journey ! :D

Vidya

ambi said...

be proud of being a veg chellam!
wow! cooking..? gud.
but cleaning is very hectic naah?:(

s0ulasylum said...

hey harish!.. happy blog birthday! and kudos for staying veggie.. im such a non-veggie paithyam i dont know how to over come it.. but even if you eat out you have lotssss of options.. subway.. taco bell.. i heard even mc d's is coming out with a veggie burger.. even most resturants have at least a coupla veggie entrees in the menu.. so no worries there! :) but self cooking is the best when you crave for home food.. ! eligible bachelorhood aa?? *ahem ahem*.. i might have a few frnds.. lol!

Vani Viswanathan said...

Congrats on one year in blogdom! :)
And goodluck with your cooking experiments ;) as for sticking to being veggie, can't agree with you more!

ambi said...

Hey! congrats for completing one year of blogging! gr8!

Harish said...

@Ramses
Thanks yaar. You are true yaar.

@Arvind
Same blood eh?

@Prithz
Ingeyum ade nelamai thaan. Inikki kooda kashtapaate when i went out. DAmn...

Harish said...

@has to be me
Ennanga pandradu. "Necessity is the mother of invention" kku ipa thaan artam puriyardu

@Krithika
Thanks yaar. Good Cooka? Ungalukku oru naal samaichchu podraen:-)

@Ramya
Naan samaippaen nu ennakae ippa thaan teriyum :-)

Harish said...

@Sat
Unakku enna yaar. Nee hard core Non Veggie.

@Ekta
Ada nyaabaga padutaadenenga. My friend who went to china told that they eat Monkeys, dogs..and waht all. Uveeek.....

@Shree
Kaariyataye kedutiruveenga pola...:-)

Harish said...

@Karthik
Religious ellam onnum illa..ada evan madichchan. This is self imposed.

@Vidya
Aamam yaar. Edo elai taazhai sapitu vaazhanum pola.

@Ambi
Adellam paatha mudiyumaa??

Harish said...

@Soulasylum
Vendaam thaayee...Mcdee la pattadu podum. btw..Unga friend number taruveengalaa? :-)

@Vani
Enna Vani? Same blooda?

@Ambi
Thanks thalai

nandoo said...

Veggiterianism... hmm sorry no comments ;)

Anonymous said...

Congrats Harish..

Moi a non-veg but sometimes I think of getting into vegetarianism... supposedly tough.. lemme see

ahem.. who is the girl then? ;)

Harish said...

@Nandoo
Unakkum Vegeterianismkkum sambandamae illayae...

@Bindu
Anda paavapatta jeevan yaaru nu teriyaama thaane naanum muzhikaraen :-)

Iniyaal said...

true Harish.. Vegetariana irukarathu romba kashtam nu US vantha piragu thaan theriyum :)
Congrats on completing one year in blogger.

Harish said...

@Iniyaazh
Thanks yaar :-)

Enigma said...

whts the recipie for bise bele bath

Heidi Kris said...

Hats off! Both for your reasoning to stay veggie and for your one yr of blogging :-)

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