Food – Celebration of Colours and Performance

I eat through my eyes,

Quench through my nostrils

It is savoured even before it is tucked in,

For it is in its colours and  smell that you feast in!

Yes I am talking about FOOD. I remember as kids what mattered the most was the presentation. Food had to be colourful and very well exhibited so that it was appealing to the human senses. For the creator it was the process that mattered. In today’s fast world where time is precious you would want to go for a easy, healthy and friendly lifestyle. Recently I had visited my friend’s place for dinner and she was in the midst of all the hullabaloo. I had imagined the kitchen would be a mess with dear pal at wits end.

But I was completely wrong. She was very relaxed and ensured I had the best drink in hand to refresh from the tryst of the hot sun. Summer was at its peak and so were the watermelons. The Borosil Vision Glass with the red, ravishing  juicy drink and some chunks of the fleshy fruit swimming through it parched my soul. I held it in the light and found the bubbles sparkling and giving it a perfect hue. I perched myself on the dining chair and laid my eyes on the table.

I could see the Borosil variety platter square right in the middle with a wide array of food. It was arresting, for I couldn’t get my eyes off it. A plethora of chaat items was set for the guests. I looked like a cat about to have its bowl of milk. I felt ashamed at my audacity but couldn’t restrain myself from giving it multiple fleeting glances. Yellow circles adorned the plate like the discs of the sun and they had the most colourful topping on them. A perfect dose of sev on the crushed boiled potatoes with a little bit of greenery brought in by the coriander leaves. The mounds were a mouthful and they had the slight tinge of red and black flakes of the chaat masala. Few had the pure white amalgamation of the curd and the brown tamarind sauce. They seemed to do a perfect salsa together. How I longed for them, they would go well with the cooler in hand.

My friend figured my temptation and very politely asked me to check if the chaats tasted good or needed any alterations. I obliged to her demands by carefully picking up the mound in between my fingers and in one stroke pushed the towering snack into my mouth. I looked like a distant cousin of my ancient ancestors and played around with the pabulum using my tongue. It exploded into my palate to give a crunchy, tangy sensation with a perfect hint of fieriness.  She got a peck on her cheek after this lip smacking exercise.

I finished my drink and stood beside my friend to check if she needed any help. She stood in front of the stove with a perfect demeanour and held no trace of weariness. I wondered how on earth could this be possible? Not that she is the impatient sort but then when you have to cook at a bigger scale you naturally get rumpled and uneasy. On imploring she replied ” Rathina when you have something that is reliable, dependable and trustworthy in terms of quality, time then you needn’t worry about anything. Things go as per plan and you just go with the flow. Performance shouldn’t nag you”. I pushed her further to explain in detail when she gave away with her secret mantra.

It was Borosil that did all the magic. Microwave friendly, easy to serve and clean, cook and serve and last but not the least it is extremely safe. Unlike other metals or plastic it doesn’t affect the food and release chemicals. Healthy and Friendly Borosil had made her life easy. She could cook and serve in the same glassware. I was surprised how could that ever be possible? Glass item wouldn’t it crack when placed on a stove? She smiled at me and exclaimed, “Wait and watch!” The veggies had been beautifully cut.

Long and slender like a swan’s neck, ooh so very french were the beans;

Off white flowers they call cauliflower and the round so ever peas 

Bright and orange like the spring’s cover were the diced carrots;

Like the pink blossoms in bloom, the glow of onions,

They tossed and played around in the pot

In a very short time she had managed to prepare vegetable biryani. When she opened the glassware the aroma wafted around the house perfectly balanced with the spices, rice and veggies.  It was a riot of colours and seemed as if all the colours of the rainbow had landed into the glassware. I could notice the distinct layers of rice and vegetables. I remembered my aunt’s dum biryani and one look at the no mess kitchen top stated that you could attain the traditional taste, perfection with the beauty of Borosil. I noticed the Borosil Tea Light cast its shadows across the dining area. Dinner was a feast for the eyes and a celebration for the breadbasket.

But I wasn’t yet done, the final show-stopper for the night was the rice kheer. The perfectly slow cooked rice granules in the white milkiness envelope and later doused with the right quantity of sugar, drizzled with dry fruits melted in my mouth. The mixture slid like honey through my mouth. I found myself licking the Borosil bowl shamelessly. Tempted as I was I went for the second round of this lip smacking dessert. I returned home with a resolution to get the Borosil brand to adorn my kitchen rack and be a part of my culinary journey that I call Celebration of Colours and Performance.

 This post is my contribution to the My beautiful food contest held by Borosil in association with Indiblogger.