Three testing months have flown away from calendar pages, freezing grey days brought predictable calmness to the street, and a much-needed breather for our staff.
As darkness slowly departed, a dazzling horizon paved the way for a gorgeous spring; with it a transformed crowd appeared in big numbers and filled up markets and restaurants.
A white platter ascended our spiral staircase on the safe palm of Mustafa—a delectable Kerala fish fry with a brown crunchy look. Under fried onions and curry leaves, the crispness was made up of freshly ground red chilly masala. A swirl of moist aroma stopped next to us.
With bright eyes, seafood lover Jeet stood up in excitement and said, “That’s what I need, a big plate of that, make it extra hot.”
That dreamy ecstasy on food was the amazing nature that captivated me for this table-talk with Jeet. We conversed deep into food philosophy and how it could tackle our social problems. He described his diet story after a transcending session with his Master.
It was suggested, quit three things to be a healthy and balanced human being—no smoking, no alcohol and a meat-free diet. The first two were not in his character, and he changed the third advice too, except eating fish. He said, “I started loving fish ever since and would travel miles for a delicious fish meal.”
In the packed restaurant, food was indeed the catalyst as Jeet shared his views with food analogies to outline spontaneous happiness in an unpleasant world. Just like ingredients in a dish, every one of them has a distinctive presence and quality unparalleled to others. There are very few people like Jeet who see only the best in life and continue to spread positivity. Unfortunately, a lot of these people are unnoticed in a deeply polluted system.
The main course came as a surprise to him. King fish was cooked in delicious tapioca masala and simmered in creamy coconut milk seasoned with green chillies and curry leaves. Jeet seemed comfortably home as the colourful fish curry was served with organic red rice and fiery mango pickle. More than the excitement of eating fish curry, what brought nostalgia to his happy face was our yogurt dish called Kalan. He remarked, “This tastes so much like how my grandmother used to make it.”
“I love simple food; it brings so much happiness to our lives. Food manifestations voice this story everyday and we fail to listen to the vibrations and answers food illustrate in our life.”
That sounds so true; simple dishes communicate flavours easily and most people remember its influence on enjoyment, memory and comfort. People generally prefer light, home-cooked dishes for daily intake, but they end up eating wrong food combinations.
Jeet’s time with us was precious and taught us how one can flow smoothly by cuddling health and happiness in harmony. He hinted at a lot of food remedies and how to look straight at the world without being overwhelmed by complex realities of life. His words resonated, “You should start seeing your inner light and progress on the path; it leads to your destination.
There’s a spark of divinity in every individual and it’s a big reason to live and keep it shining to make the world a better place.”The author is a London-based restaurateur who owns the Rasa chain of restaurants