Gizmo collectors!

Dear Usha
A mother imparts life to her child, feeds it while it is still in the form of a fetus with food and love through her naval chord. After the child is born, she continues to add a generous portion of her love to the food that she cooks for us. It is one of the reasons that the food cooked by the mother and the Prasad distributed at the Temples acquire a special taste. I just remembered it reading about your mother kneading dough for the rotis. Such acts of bonding in a family are becoming increasingly rarer thanks to the hectic pace of our lives. It is no wonder that our life has become too mechanical to be human!

New Earth is a great book by Eckhart Tolle. I wish everyone reads it.

OJ da's post would move even a mountain. I just could not control my tears while reading it. This post of his has left a deep impression on my psyche. Kamal has a special way of endearing himself to his readers!
Sri

Dear Cheeniya Sir

In my mother's house also my mother and grandmother used to use Aruvamanai only for cutting vegetables. Now also we use that wooden base with a fan like crown for shredding coconuts. Olden days they used to enjoy grinding in attukkal and powdering rice, urad dal etc in ezundiram.

I agree with your last line.

I was also moved by Ojaantrik's reply to your post and as you say Kamalji has a special way of endearing himself to readers

My daughter mentioned to me about this site and I also feel happy sharing my feelings with the friends here. They give so much encouragement.

Regards
Viji

Originally Posted by Cheeniya

Dear Viji
In the olden days, there used to be no kitchen gadgets whatsoever. Every one used a sharp blade fixed to a wooden base with a fan-like crown. While the blade was used for cutting and slicing vegetables, the crown took care of shredding of coconuts. The wooden base was kept pressed down under one knee so that the blade would not move while cutting and slicing. It was called 'Aruvamanai' in Tamil. I used to sit watching my mum doing her daily vegetable slicing chore with such amazing speed. She would be looking at us and talking to us while doing this job without slicing her finger!

It is a pity that even the sexagenarian ladies have bidden a good bye to such time honoured methods and are talking of mechanisation of cooking all the time!
Sri

Cheeniya sir,

Your posts about gizmo has had almost all of us here, recall our paatis using "aruvamanai". Though I am not expert in using it for cutting, I can easily use it for shredding coconut. And I too have brought vegetable cutters, but am comfortable with a simple sharp knife.

I admire the way you gently sway your topic from your friend's gizmo craze to your Amma. It was touching to read that vegetable cutting was a ritual for her (and I guess, its the same,for many her age) and when it is denied, they are reminded that their time has come.

OJ sir's FB was too touching...I pray that Alzheimer's disease, vanish from the world.

Bye

Cheeniya sir,

Actually, I was remembering my late grandmother kneading the chapati dough. My mother keeps her herself busy with other chores!

Dear Sri,

I am not a tech savvy... But Shanthi is... She keeps herself updated on all the latest gadgets... But fortunately, she is too cost concious... so I am saved... I dont know what to say... as one of the Legends of IL has started a thread on Technical Gadgets for cookery... I should not say much...

On the Pongal day, I went to one of my collegues house for lunch... There his brothers wife was saying.... that her DH did not get gas connection / mixie / grinder for a long long time... because he doesnt want the taste to get adulted... when we use the technical gadgets it will lose the original taste... I was stunned and taken back...

But I have to say, whatever you do, the taste of the rasam done in the eiyya sombu, in kumutti stove has a better taste than done in our stainless steel utensils in Gas stove...

With regard to the elders... OJ has made me speechless and cry...

Thanks to those people who revived this thread...

Veda

Dear Viji
I am happy that your daughter helped you to discover the great community of ILites and I can see how much you enjoy yourself writing here. You are indeed a prolific writer coming out with something new almost every day. That speaks volumes of your interest in writing. Nothing can be more satisfying than the ability to write and communicate with people all over the world!
Sri

Dear PVS
A friend of mine was a Senior Executive in the defunct Bank of Credit and Commerce International(BCCI) for over 7 years. It got into rough weather due to massive charges of corruption and misuse of funds and finally closed down. Incidentally, the same Price Water were the auditors of that Bank too and were sued for dereliction of duties!

My friend tells me that during its hay days, this Bank had a system of dealing with substandard executives. The moment the top Management found an executive not pulling his weight, they did not sack him immediately. They would just take him off from any important assignment that he would be handling and placed in a very unimportant position which in Banking parlance is known as 'being rendered innocuous'! The executive would find himself losing all his importance and becoming a subject matter of ridicule which would ultimately make him quit his job voluntarily!

Old ladies denied of any opportunity to be of some use to the family would undergo similar emotions. At this point they will either lose all interest in living or in extreme cases may become an irritant to other members of the family!

After reading oj's FB, I too have become totally an Alzheimer hater.
Sri

Dear Veda
You must thank God that Shanthi is cost conscious! I have seen some ladies going berserk when they visit shops selling such kitchen gadgets. Some people tell me that some of the famous shops in Chennai like Saravana Stores started their fairy tale of rags to riches with a humble but shrewd investment in kitchen gadgets and they never looked back thereafter!

It is very difficult to understand the psychology of the gadget crazy. I belong to the old school that considers cutting of vegetables to manageable size before they are cooked is more than adequate. Whether they are cut in round, square, star or any other geometrical shapes, the moment they are served, they are rendered shapeless by hungry mouths!

I am totally with your friend that gadgets make the food 'soulless'! Eeya Sombhu, kumutti, kal chatti and the like imparted such divine taste to food in the past. But today, the mere opening of the pressure cooker fills the house with a smell that is least appetizing!

You don't worry about any legends of IL! Voice your opinion fearlessly about gadgets!
Sri

Veda Boy,
If you say Shan is cost conscious (to your advantage, perhaps?), why do you bother if a thread on gadgets is started??
In a predominantly ladies' forum, this is a simple exchange of ideas like the men's talk of which mutual fund is good, what will happen to Satyam employees or what is expected of Obama, next??
Shan posts lovely "food-photos" in the Virtual Feast thread.So, do not talk as if visual appeal of food is not that important. With your kachatti, eeyasombu talk, you are clearly proving that you have a long way to go!!
This is the age of Corelle and Food processor.With kachatti vathakuzambu, our elders used to consume one pot of rice & burnt their calories by manual work! Do we follow that life style now?
I had planned a nice dinner for you on your next trip to Chennai - now I think, I will just make vendaya kuzambu & kathirikkai curry! Nothing more!!
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Chitvish,

NO...NO... NO... I am not bothered about the thread on gadgets... You see, my Guruji doesnt go that side of IL... So it is my duty to keep Guruji informed... thats all... With regard to Shan being cost concious... I am not worried... and I dont have any advantage in that... As a matter of fact, I am asking her to buy some appliances and she is refusing.... stating that, If I start having all these things, I will become lazy... this is her concept...

Gone are the days that men talk about MF's and Sathyam Fiasco and all... Now even women have entered all fields... If you see, citi bank ads, they show only women as MF Customer Account Managers...

Shan is churning out dishes and putting it in the VF... my mouth watering... I stopped entering that thread... But alas, she send me the link and asks, how it has come... I have no answer than to say... it looks good... I am happy, as long as my kids enjoy... Planning to have feast daily, when I am there...

I am flat at your feet and double namaskaram... I will be very happy to have vendhaya kuzhambu, kathirikkai curry... just add with it... keerai masiyal, sutta or poricha appalam and mango oorugai... I dont need anything more than this...Big LaughBig LaughBig Laugh... You see, I love more traditional food.... hahahahahahahaahaha

Veda

Originally Posted by Chitvish

Veda Boy,
If you say Shan is cost conscious (to your advantage, perhaps?), why do you bother if a thread on gadgets is started??
In a predominantly ladies' forum, this is a simple exchange of ideas like the men's talk of which mutual fund is good, what will happen to Satyam employees or what is expected of Obama, next??
Shan posts lovely "food-photos" in the Virtual Feast thread.So, do not talk as if visual appeal of food is not that important. With your kachatti, eeyasombu talk, you are clearly proving that you have a long way to go!!
This is the age of Corelle and Food processor.With kachatti vathakuzambu, our elders used to consume one pot of rice & burnt their calories by manual work! Do we follow that life style now?
I had planned a nice dinner for you on your next trip to Chennai - now I think, I will just make vendaya kuzambu & kathirikkai curry! Nothing more!!
Love,
Chithra.