Paratha pains

Packing a school lunch for the daughter consumes a great deal of my wife8217;s energy every day.

Packing a school lunch for the daughter consumes a great deal of my wife8217;s energy every day. And every time my daughter returns from school, she has only one complaint, 8220;I could hardly get to eat any of my lunch. As soon as I open my lunch-box my friends snatch it from me and finish it. I had to eat their tiffin again today.8221;

My wife, having passed the tiffin test with flying colours, is only encouraged by such compliments. She puts that little extra effort to make her daughter8217;s lunch-box a winner each time even as our child ends up eating other people8217;s lunches.

It so happened that one day my wife was unwell. I decided to fill the breach and make a snack for our daughter. 8220;Sandwiches,8221; suggested my wife. I ignored her counsel. I thought it would amount to letting down my daughter even as I miss an opportunity to emerge the super-pop. So I decided to make the king of all snacks 8212; the alu paratha. I had seen my wife making it and it seemed eminently do-able. Alas, only when I got involved in the task irretrievably did I realise that bungee jumping may have been the easier option to wow the teen brigade.

First, I literally sliced my fingers peeling the potatoes. Then came the more difficult part. Those who have tried making alu paratha would know how difficult it is to keep the darned filling from spilling out. Sacrificing a good part of the morning, which could have been better spent at the golf course, I managed to finish the task. Although their shape was not much to write home about, it tasted fine, even delectable. I quickly packed them into the lunch-box along with assorted pickles 8212; and audaciously placed an extra paratha for my daughter8217;s pals.

In the evening, on returning home from work, I was eager to get the report card on my performance as a chef. 8220;How was your day at school?8221; I asked my daughter. 8220;Well, fine,8221; she replied absent-mindedly, completely missing the purpose of my query. I then decided to be more direct, 8220;And my alu paratha?8221; 8220;Oh, that was nice. Thanks,8221; was her cool reply.

Then, sensing that I wanted to hear more on the subject, she added brutally, 8220;And today, for once, I had all the stuff to myself.8221;