A common question everyone asks me when i call someone back in India is ... apart from the usual stuff like how far the college is from home (most people naturally assume our college has a campus) ... or how I did in my exams (failing to realize that i have exams throughout the semester) ... or the number of places i have visited in America (financing my transportation is something they fail to mention) ... about my cooking! They do understand that to have survived for over 5 months ... I must have visited the kitchen atleast once in a while ... and hence are inquisitive to know details.

Simply put ... I have come to the stage of teaching mom a couple of new recipes. How does that sound? Too overconfident ... boastful ... arrogant? Maybe ... but you guys sound jealous. Kitchen is a chemical laboratory ... or so they say ... and my experiments began early August itself. American pizzas and burgers contain some ingredients that my intestines are unable to digest ... and hence ... me ... a true Brahmin boy ... like all other Brahmins who are born 'cooks' by instinct ... began the rituals and apparently succeeded at it. My room-mate's alive ... do you need any more proof?

Gojjavalakki ... Kesaribaath ... Bread Upma ... Sambar ... Chapathis ... Rasam ... Okra sabji ... carrot halwa ... coffee ... bread sandwich ... Avalakki ... Tomato Baath ... Jeera Rice ... Puliyogare ... you name it ... i got it! And mind you ... not all are ready-to-eat stuff. Sambar, Rasam, the side dishes, the rice items ... these are things i start from scratch. Ok ... i won't go to say that i'm this great cook and all ... but i can keep myself alive and healthy the next 5 years ... how does that sound?

Of course ... there were a few failed experiments ... the carrot halwa turned out into a mini-swimmig pool ... the chapathis once had turned so black that it looked darker than charcoal ... Bread upma looked more like Bannerghatta road the day it rains ... and the okra sabji was so hot that smoke and fire came out of all the 9 exit holes in my body. But the successes have overtaken the failures. Every great student has great teachers ... i have got 3 ... mom of course, who is the queen of cooking ... my sister in Dallas ... and my friend in Atlanta ... who kind of constantly give me new ideas ... and that's how i am able to fuel myself and survive this non-vegetarian country :-)