Wednesday 2 November 2011

Salads forever.....

Today afternoon as I sat down for lunch with my husband, we had gone out for a lunch date after a very long time. I was reflecting on how long I've come in terms of choice of food. As an Indian the only salad I grew up knowing were the green salad as they call it here, which is basically sliced carrots, cucumbers and onions , maybe tomatoes when in season with a dash of lime, or the kachumbar which is essentially the same just diced up and spiced up. Today at lunch I was savouring a waldorf salad.

When I was living in Europe ten years back, I had no clue about this beautiful world of breads, cheese and salads. My love affair with salads started a tad reluctant. I couldn't imagine a meal that consisted of a few vegetables thrown together, uncooked with some weird looking sauces with names I couldn't pronounce.  my tongue was so tuned to the blast of flavour in the mouth from our wide cuisine. spices rulled the roost where I was concerned. The subtlety of salads failed to impress me. As did various cheese with no salt.

Slowly as I traveled all over Europe the differences started dawning upon me. Vinaigrette was no longer just a word, mayonnaise was not just the white sauce, lettuce did not make me feel like a cow and nuts in salads actually became the hidden gems for me. The German potato salad and Italian Mistas became my favorites and my body appreciated this kindness. This was my infatuation phase in this love story.

The depth in this relationship came about after I returned to India. I went back to the old familiar , the old lover, so comforting, so calming, the explosion of flavors sent shivers down my spine, slowly I realised I was missing the new love of my life. I missed my salads more than I cared to admit. Something deep down craved for the simple yet satisfying food. The freshness, the explossion of colors, the subtle tantalising flavors.... I realized then this relationship was much deeper than I had realized.

I started by experimenting in my own kitchen. When ever any restaurant would offer one of those "exotic" salads I would go to sample it. I did everything to prevent salads from escaping from my life. I came up with my own versions, concoctions, combination's. Today I knew for sure, this is not a short lived fling or affair. This is one of those life long love stories. Salads are here to stay, in my life, forever.....





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