One Fleeting Moment

Our home these days is a hot house of cold germs, thanks to a growing Gherkin and all her wee friends. We cannot remember a time when we at least one of us did not have the sniffles. Ah! the many joys of parenting.

This concotion of carrots, ginger, curry powder and coconut milk was cooked up to provide some respite from the constant barrage of colds, runny noses, itchy throats that we seem to be battling these days.

I shook my head vigorously, rolled my eyes and convinced him that such a thought had never even occurred to me.

And then last week I forgot about my resolution. I made dal, I made kadhi but no soup. A kadhi is soupy enough to qualify as a soup and can definitely be slurped like one and what is more - it is definitely not a lentil stew. So I guess, I still made a soup last week.

Though I have to admit that in the last few weeks, as I was driving around with the Gherkin (who was sound asleep in her carseat) the what to eat question drove me nuts. I desperately wanted to eat something other than the contents of my refrigerator. Yet going into any of our usual haunts meant that the associated activity of unloading the Gherkin would wake her up, thereby sending my plans of enjoying a nice lunch belly up. The only way I could order a meal without waking her up was at a drive through. And just like that, I saw the Golden Arches beckoning in my rear view mirror.

The call was strong and clear and I answered it dutifully by driving up to a board and asking a the static-y voice for a quarter pounder with cheese, fries and soda. Then I drove up to a second window and paid for my order and waited for a long time until the friendly cashier told me that I had to drive up to yet another window for my order. Which I did and was promptly rewarded with a paper bag containing my burger and fries. As I drove away, the car filled up nicely with that familiar fast food smell. I ate a few fries while driving and then finished the meal at home. I have to admit I enjoyed my tinny fries and the picture perfect burger. Apart from the fact that I had succeeded in my mission (as stated above) there is always something illicit about a Big Mac meal which makes it all the more fun to indulge in occasionally. Ooh! the thrill of biting into a French Fry that will outlive me if I let it be or slurping a keg of soda whose sugary goodness might make me comatose.

So coming back to the what's for dinner question, two weeks back the answer was tomato soup. Or to be more precise my Mom's tomato soup.