tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post3339558720978893692..comments2024-03-21T13:03:10.375+05:30Comments on When My Soup Came Alive: What's Your Tradition?srahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243944393796831559noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-45964274342552830582010-04-14T11:46:00.368+05:302010-04-14T11:46:00.368+05:30i loved this post...actually have been reading and...i loved this post...actually have been reading and commenting on a few of them this past hour....its so true..what is tradition seriously? and coming from the worst form of cross breed and marrying into a family where the whole community makes the same type of molaga podi..its confusing at best....i am all for convenience...it gets my goat too that the minute you utter andhra, avakkai is the next...and for a hyderabadi, there's no escaping the "ohhh i love the biriyanis"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-16462907618871531952010-03-19T09:26:37.262+05:302010-03-19T09:26:37.262+05:30nice one,...nice one,...notyet100https://www.blogger.com/profile/12079779480407514805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-24276953404472776772010-03-15T05:47:38.550+05:302010-03-15T05:47:38.550+05:30Yeah, two food adjectives I am scared of - traditi...Yeah, two food adjectives I am scared of - traditional and authentic, though I am guilty of using both in my descriptions. I too had never cooked at home, or "trained under" my mom. I just started cooking once I moved to Bangalore and had a kitchen of my own, well shared kitchen with my roomie. Somehow along the way it kinda became a passion. Only then I started showing any interest in the "traditional" kerala dishes :). That's the cooking part, but the love for food was imparted in me from a very younge age. My family was a totally foodie family , we used to eat out at restaurants so much more often than "normal people" in our income range at the time. As long as it was non-veg, I could get over my germaphobia and clean up the plates.Sighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16949737485794919264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-51541240912088607352010-03-14T10:32:01.016+05:302010-03-14T10:32:01.016+05:30I think I get what you are trying to say.....I nev...I think I get what you are trying to say.....I never had the opportunity to taste my extended family's cooking since we lived in Mumbai while they were all down South. It was just Mom's cooking - and she had really beautiful memories of traditional Tamilian food - but even she learnt to cook most of it after getting married - before that, as with most South Indian women of her generation, it was all about the education and the Master's degree!<br /><br />My Dad is an avid foodie and that was what prompted her to learn to cook North Indian food so that we didn't eat out that often - yes practicality over romanticism :)<br /><br />But still - that is my tradition and memories -some home cooked Tamil food combined with Anglo Indian cooking from my Godmother downstairs liberally sprinkled with Maharashtrian food eaten at my neighbours!Mirihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13676408925598600874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-17693943335894061862010-03-12T17:22:25.150+05:302010-03-12T17:22:25.150+05:30Traditions.... My mother never shopped, ever. My ...Traditions.... My mother never shopped, ever. My father did all the shopping, brought the food home and my mother cooked whatever he bought. He didn't use a list and she never told him what she wanted. He bought what looked good and she had to work with it. She was a good cook - but with very few 'dishes' that she regularly made. - and no cook books except for sweets.Katie Zellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17498599461583826030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-65230342773882486472010-03-12T10:35:04.558+05:302010-03-12T10:35:04.558+05:30What an interesting peep in to your lifeWhat an interesting peep in to your lifeRajesh &Shankarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16157203464974426422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-1810937035314562082010-03-12T00:07:11.381+05:302010-03-12T00:07:11.381+05:30My family tradition is not following the tradition...My family tradition is not following the tradition, much like yours as well. My grandmother was a great cook in the family and my mother cooks well...but she doesnt cook much. Its always the cook! <br /><br />I grew up in hostel(lived on special diet Kerala mess, Andhra mess, Tamil Nadu mess, you name it)...traveled so much(Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Delhi, Nagpur, Memphis, Oxford, Atlanta...).<br /><br />When I started cooking for myself...everything came naturally, which I still wonder how!!?? I basically lack knowledge how many diff' dhalls we have in India. Mommy swears its gradma's genes, but I believe its more like a palate thing', true omnivore, practically lived on diff' cuisines. <br /><br />And I guess, the levels of oxytocin is also pretty much important in house keeping, he he.:)Malar Gandhihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16586988066440083113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-29656851028362529552010-03-11T23:59:33.784+05:302010-03-11T23:59:33.784+05:30Sra,
Splendid post..well I dont know know what mor...Sra,<br />Splendid post..well I dont know know what more to add after all these worth-reading comments and this thought provoking post :)..<br />we create out own tradition and each and every home has it's own way of making things "working" or "alive"...tradition is like a river , you add more and it grows bigger,deeper or even turn acutely and change places LOL..<br />hugs and smilesJaya Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15474786799687276472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-63603967447605608392010-03-11T23:59:33.783+05:302010-03-11T23:59:33.783+05:30Sra enjoyed reading your post.loved to read sandee...Sra enjoyed reading your post.loved to read sandeepa's comments too.she is so right.Till date my mom, again a working lady never has cooked any dish in the traditional way or has ever put her heart and soul into cooking and we still love it because we are used to it.but somehow i had this penchant for cooking (may be my both the grandmothers passed it on to me) and here in the services I discovered everybody is an expert <br />cook the reason being socialising and playing host to lot of parties.So iam helping to keep the armed forces wives' traditions alive:).that vanilla essence with chilli chicken must have been gr8...i am in splits hereAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11509096815485123913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-62697955015119398702010-03-11T23:55:43.678+05:302010-03-11T23:55:43.678+05:30chicken flavoured with vanilla essence sounds grea...chicken flavoured with vanilla essence sounds great Sra, thought provoking post..its nice to read everybody's comments..Srivallihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07286828376869181360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-5082522777065297172010-03-11T23:41:31.740+05:302010-03-11T23:41:31.740+05:30Very well writeup Sra. I started cooking at very e...Very well writeup Sra. I started cooking at very early age to help my mom in the morning hour rush. But at the same time she made sure my brother also helps her. It helped me a lot when I went to hostel. I was sure that I will never go hungry :)Mints!https://www.blogger.com/profile/06560644578408734471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-8288113913186065982010-03-11T19:43:37.330+05:302010-03-11T19:43:37.330+05:30Ok I am back, have re thought very hard ;-)
My st...Ok I am back, have re thought very hard ;-)<br /><br />My story was exactly like yours in the sense that I was never encouraged to cook. "Study well" was the only refrain that I heard and that is what I did most of the time !!!<br /><br />My Mom stayed at home and did all the cooking and over did in fact but neither she nor me felt it was a glam thing to do. I think she did it more as a sense of duty as a home maker and you don't really love things you have to do as a routine.<br /><br /><br />Once I moved from home,I started cooking more as a necessity and I have said this several times. I still didn't think it was a worthwhile thing to do and though I loved eating, I felt browsing recipe sites was something idle minds do.<br /><br />Here in the US things were very different, almost everyone I met cooked really well and I really wanted to learn more of the stuff that folks back home cooked regularly. <br /><br />Also I really feel Food Blogs have made something like "everyday home cooking" a very glamorous thing to do. I myself owe "Mahanadi" a big one for that.<br /><br />You now kind of feel proud doing your everyday dal, feeding a home cooked meal to the family seems more worthwhile. And that is how you slowly foray into making your own traditions and reliving the past ones.Bong Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15407918137263251235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-91479425788059486982010-03-11T19:40:37.920+05:302010-03-11T19:40:37.920+05:30Have you thought about converting this into an eve...Have you thought about converting this into an event? Ask them to send in their cooking tradition and no recipes, just links to the ones they have already posted causally thrown in the post. I will host it for you if you are too busy. What say?Desisoccermomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-35166353695179739582010-03-11T19:38:06.621+05:302010-03-11T19:38:06.621+05:30Sra, was gathering my thoughts before I could comm...Sra, was gathering my thoughts before I could comment, hence the delay. Here they are:<br />Madhur Jaffery in her book Climbing the Mango Trees, goes on and on about how her family was one of the very few modern families in India, but the book is redolent with food cooked by her mom, grandma and various aunts in the family.<br />Which is not to say that a woman cooking food can not be modern. What I am trying to say is, your family was probably way ahead of its time (and more modern than Jaffery's family), with emphasis on economic independence rather than cooking techniques. <br />My grandma (dad's mom) was an excellent cook but she was also a very independent woman who supported a big household while my grandfather was in jail (as a freedom fighter) for long periods of time. She was a music teacher and also ran a restaurant for a while with two of her friends.<br />My other grandma too is an excellent cook and she finished her masters while raising four daughters and taught in a school till the age of 70. <br />My mom still works and when we were kids, used to cook before going to work and after coming back. <br />I, who don't work anymore, and did not cook growing up except make rotis or chop some veggies, cook with a different rythm than all three of them. <br />That being said, the fare of all the three women and for that matter of my aunts has always been simple -- roti, dal, sabzi, salad and rice. An occassianal dessert for special occassions. <br />Far away from influence of my family (or his) I have eventually reverted back to that simple menu on most days when we are not trying out our hands at new ingredients available here.<br />I think I am going to convert these thoughts into a post and link back to yours.Desisoccermomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-37620475403908502412010-03-11T17:33:34.309+05:302010-03-11T17:33:34.309+05:30I love this post! It's so interesting, the th...I love this post! It's so interesting, the things we write about as food bloggers/writers. I think I probably spend more time writing about what my mother doesn't cook rather than what she does but there are definitely still some meals that are intrinsically linked to my memory.Joannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17133232352924060797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-54765535905080806082010-03-11T15:39:37.689+05:302010-03-11T15:39:37.689+05:30All what you've said is quite true in my house...All what you've said is quite true in my house where the emphasis lay on studying - cooking was something we'd learn eventually! But I married into a house where girls are taught and expected to cook well and a variety of dishes for the family and extended relatives. Thankfully, I knew to cook but was always - and still sometimes am - nervous about the reactions and feedback. Personally I feel cooking is a skill for life and every member in the family must know to cook basic food atleast for themselves- well, this thought sprung from some personal experiences and living outside the homeland!Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03338468510575659800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-3150185724252038922010-03-11T15:20:31.249+05:302010-03-11T15:20:31.249+05:30There are lots of things that I used to believe in...There are lots of things that I used to believe in before that are no longer important to me. Is that loss of tradition? <br />I do regret not taking any interest in cooking before marriage. Like you said, it is a life skill and something that everyone should learn the basics of, irrespective of gender. I make "traditional" dishes more 'coz I don't want to not know how to make 'em than to keep up the tradition.Jayashreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16728565295970195658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-60095151118118032242010-03-11T13:26:27.160+05:302010-03-11T13:26:27.160+05:30Hi hi chilli chicken flavoured with vanilla essenc...Hi hi chilli chicken flavoured with vanilla essence , that would have been something, well you can say atleast froma earlly age you had fusion food ;-)<br />My mom didn't had a masala box untill some 10 years ago. When i was home it was almways small jam bottles or plastic bottels were she kept all her spices, there will be this variety of small boxes sitting there next to her gas table.<br />I dodn't know if i was brought up in a traditional way.Finlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122357811540919609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-62439017180212029572010-03-11T11:53:33.053+05:302010-03-11T11:53:33.053+05:30Until the last time I met my in laws... there woul...Until the last time I met my in laws... there would be some question about why this and why not that... and I'd say, "Because that's how my mom makes it"... this time I said, "This is how I make it"... or "because I like it this way".<br /><br />I don't have a masala box... my mom didn't either :( I like the idea of storing tadka ingredients mixed in a box :)Raagahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14736416344880614248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-16038005772931389122010-03-11T11:42:12.456+05:302010-03-11T11:42:12.456+05:30You are absolutely right. Thats why on the safer s...You are absolutely right. Thats why on the safer side I started recording my mom's recipes as such (thats the only one I could get as my both my grandmas passed away by the time I tookup cooking). But I consicuosly try to record the intricacies as thats what we call it as a "tradition". But when comes to a regional cuisine the fish kolumbu if tasted in a household in cuddalore petty much tastes the same everywhere in the town. I have seen quiet a no. of telugu bloggers who use the chilli powder in less-than-moderation and my thought of painting everything red for Andhra cuisine is actually cleared by them.Nirmalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06208705843959737265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-27266830640053095622010-03-11T11:30:42.146+05:302010-03-11T11:30:42.146+05:30Enjoyed reading your post, Sra. Loved the bit abou...Enjoyed reading your post, Sra. Loved the bit about your great grandmom asking if you got a raise! :)Vanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02990053720835647706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-69867832803462110552010-03-11T11:12:38.049+05:302010-03-11T11:12:38.049+05:30My granny says: the masala box shows how the woman...My granny says: the masala box shows how the woman is organized! I grew up seeing the masala box in my family and kept very neat! <br />Traditionnal things, festivals are always sambar, vadai, payasam... But few festival like Sakkranthi, my family does a Pongal with sugar - Diwali is celebrated with a special sweet dumpling made with nuts and coconut! It is our family tradition!<br />But married someone from karnataka I really don't follow closely my mom style and in laws. <br />Tradition is twisted, changed according our taste or even circumstance!Chamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06912395013740648068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-65033805457768698452010-03-11T05:30:39.673+05:302010-03-11T05:30:39.673+05:30Something come as habit. I guess that is what is t...Something come as habit. I guess that is what is tradition. But, aren't we all allowed to make our own tradition? That is what is our 'touch' which I am sure every mother and grand mother introduced deviating from what was shown or taught to them. Very interesting and nice post. BTW, I am hosting my first event which is on baking. Check it out if you are interested.<br />http://versatilekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/bake-off-event-announcement.htmlChampahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14389840348787422502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-78921708986564123982010-03-11T04:15:26.330+05:302010-03-11T04:15:26.330+05:30Very well put Sra. I think I can relate to you in ...Very well put Sra. I think I can relate to you in terms of defining tradition. Even though I grew up in Bangalore, I cannot say with confidence that a particular dish is a traditional one, nor its traditional recipe. <br />Same applies to our Konkani cooking. Much of my mom's cooking was adapting to what she knew, what was avaialble and trying to cater to all our needs.Red Chillieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10447416220756850109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30980268.post-34525590877195765802010-03-11T02:49:48.773+05:302010-03-11T02:49:48.773+05:30Heartfelt Post Sra? You gotta one more thing to it...Heartfelt Post Sra? You gotta one more thing to it too, personally most of my friends(and I) cook coz their husbands expect them to cook like how their mom or aunt cooked..and it has to be as authentic as it could be..no semi homemade or tricks..If it needs a cup of ghee, you better add 2 cups :) drown it in coconut oil or lather it up with as many ingredients as a dish can hold..<br /><br />About andra restaurants, in general indian restaurants here add lots of color that the teeth starts looking yellowy-red after a gobi manchoorian or panner tikka!<br /><br />http://ruchikacooks.comSowjanya@Ruchikacookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13664921355298277433noreply@blogger.com