By: Kamal Baruah
It’s all about the colours of freedom. ‘Har ghar tiranga’ campaign created awareness and generated support for the tri-colour, the symbol of national integrity and aspirations of India. The flag just couldn’t confine home this time. The roads flooded with jubilant citizens mounting national flag atop their vehicles to celebrate Independence Day. After watching those fanfares, I too felt inspired to do it in a different way. So I got into my SUV and drove off on the National Highway to Tezpur in the wee hours of the day. It was no drive aimlessly for hours but the reason I rushed there to pick up our daughter from her hostel on a short vacation.
Papa wants to move from caring father to full-time buddy. I discover the streaming services of Spotify from her favourite numbers. The subwoofer reinforced the bass and richness of music while I set the cruise control on 80 kmph. The seat at co-driver had a day of relaxing after her didactic lectures, laboratory sessions and clinical postings. Their classroom presents a cheerful busy atmosphere but she is tired of boring mess food and kept reminiscing about hostel without mentioning food miseries. Puris aren’t always crispy, fluffy or soft but a hard rectangle chapatti lookalike. Love them or hate them, but there is no ignoring potatoes. The humble ingredient is readily available at all the times.
So she toyed with the idea of spending a full mug of chai and her favourite non vegetarian recipes during stay at home. A vegan diet at grandma’s lunch followed by a leg of mutton at her cousin passed the first day. She got together with her friends at City Centeron the next day and tantalized their taste buds with imaginative pizzas in scrumptious flavours. We booked our table for Chinese sizzler at dinner.We heard a loud hiss and crackle and there was so much smoke coming off loaded platters. It was a most loving dish served on hot sizzling plate.
Who wanted to forgo the McDonald’s Burger and leaves Guwahati these days while one had a vacation. The digital transformation from the drive-thru to self-service kiosks had interacted with virtual reality in restaurant dining. Youngsters find it most fashionable and exciting. But my wife took it in another way. The pizza is all about flour, yeast and waterand burger is all about a sandwich of cooked patties placed inside a sliced bread bun. South Indian Dosa makes India’s wholesome fast food obsession so does with. Pav Bhaji placed in Mumbai for the ultimate street food. Then why Assamese couldn’t think of making our own desi recipe at home.
And finally a dinner served at home. It was sweet and salty recipe from Kola Joha (black Joha rice). No matter what the colour does. Black doesn’t always signify bitter but the taste of another kholasapori Pitha (a rice pancake), outsiders called it Assamese Dosa. It was a simply desi menu at home after tasting food one after another restaurants. For a tea lover, it was another full mug of heavenly delight. We had kadhak chai (masala chai). Is drinking tea right after meals good or bad? No matter what green tea or herbal tea give benefits either. The desi pithas from Kola Joha have colourful tastes too.
