An Ordinary family dinner

Family meals are more often than not entertaining. Jokes are cracked, disapproving looks are given, when you haven’t done anything you were supposed to do yet, so much life revolves around mealtimes especially when everyone sits down together. Here’s an ordinary mealtime in my house, when no one is made fun of and no funny stories are shared. Everyone just focusing on their food.

Me: (puts enough food on own plate and prepares to start feasting)
Mom: (brings out a few curries from yesterday) Here, why don’t you try some of this masala also?
Me: (shakes head)
Mom: (ignores and puts some on my plate anyways)

After few minutes,
Mom: Here, this tastes very good with the rice (puts some on my plate) Methi.
Me: I can’t eat all of this, you know.
Mom: Sure you can. This is good for your health. Don’t you know you should eat leafy vegetables?
Dad: You should just quietly eat whatever your mother gives you.

Me: (holds up my plate) OK, can you please remove something that doesn’t taste very good then? I can’t eat so much.
Mom: Everything tastes good only. You didn’t like something?
Me: There’s too much on my plate.
Brother: (takes a piece of chicken from my plate)
Me: Oh come on! (smiles and snatches it back)

Mom: (looks at brother’s plate) You take some too.
Brother: No
Mom: (angrily puts some on his plate too) No, you have to eat it.
Brother: (looks annoyed but avoids looking at that section of his plate)

I always find moments like these slightly interesting and amusing. There’s something soothing about the simplicity and innocence of eating together. We shouldn’t be taking these things for granted. We should value the time that we get to spend together. These would probably be the fondest memories that remain when nothing else does.

 CORTEX IMAREEL