I want to do an
experiment. It is an experiment that will be a unique one! After my disease
robs me off my memories, and I lose most of my intricate character traits, I
need to discover things that nobody would be able to tell me. I have to
discover these traits from within the secret chambers of my soul. Let me see whether
my senses help me recover my instincts. For this, I have planned to perform an
act that I was taught by the self-proclaimed MasterChef, Chatura Sinhala! It is
not just an act; it is a subtle technique that can only be experienced from within…
Let me note down the secret and the history behind it.
Many years ago, when I
was in college, I went on a trip to Sri Lanka, as a member of a cultural
workshop entourage. I represented my college on that fifteen-day long trip. It
was a splendid experience and a memorable trip to as I was traveling alone for
the first time! The organizers arranged our accommodations as homestay guests
in respective households of our counterparts in Sri Lanka. As per this
arrangement, I was selected to stay in the house of Mr. Chatura Sinhala, a
professor of English at the University of Colombo. Until this time, I had never
really bothered about the intricacies of gastronomy, as cooking had never been
my forte. Yet, I love to try different types of food and experiment with my
taste buds, even though I had never bothered to look into the complexities that
go into preparing such dishes. However, hardly did I know that my culinary perspective
was about to change, as I arrived in Sri Lanka, The Resplendent Land!
Every evening, after
returning from our workshop, Mr. Sinhala used to cook dinner for the two of us.
Mr. Sinhala was single, and lived all by himself in his small yet cozy twin
bedroom apartment. One evening, he invited me into the kitchen and asked me
whether I knew how to cook. I made an honest confession that I was completely ignorant
in the subject. He asked me whether I preferred to experiment different cuisines,
and I answered with a quick “Yes”!
Mr. Sinhala smiled and
said, “Don’t worry Pravin, I will teach you a simple method and you too would
become a MasterChef like me! But, don’t hurry. Take your time and follow what I
tell you next. It is all about the experience and how your entire being accepts
the method and its outcome!”
Saying the above words,
Mr. Sinhala opened the refrigerator and took out a fresh green raw mango, cut
out a slice from it and gave it to me. He blinked at me and asked me to take a
bite while he started to teach me the basics of the art of cooking. Like an
obedient pupil, I took the bite and closed my eyes. Soon, the subtle tangy
taste melted in my mouth and touched the sensors around my tongue and then
passed an ethereal sense of oomph into my mind and soul! It refreshed my
energies and lighted up my spirit and rejuvenated my palate. Its smell
invigorated my olfactory senses and washed away all my tiredness!
As the aftertaste overwhelmed
my soul, I grasped the teachings of Mr. Sinhala like a mesmerized student.
Mr. Sinhala told me, “Legend
says that the raw mango is a magical fruit that can incite every one of your
five senses! The taste, the smell, the touch, the vision and the sound of the
fruit pulp crushing between your teeth, all together can stimulate your
culinary sanities! And if all these senses become stimulated, you can also cook
extraordinary dishes!”
At first I didn’t
believe his words, but within five days I was again proved wrong! Every day,
before starting our cooking lessons, we took a bite from a slice of raw mango and
absorbed our intellects into the subtle taste of the fruit. Then my training
would begin! I started by simply tossing a few spices in the heated mustard oil
and sniffing the rich odor. Then, Mr. Sinhala asked me to add one ingredient
after another. He told me not to abide by the laws of a cookbook, instead
taught me experiment as per my instincts! To him, the raw mango slice was the inspiration
and the driving force that allowed him to cook unnamed delicacies, breaking all
stereotypes!
He taught me to prepare
extraordinary dishes. However, none of them were ever written on paper. I
learnt to cook, but not any particular cuisine. I learnt to cook the cuisine
that touches the heart. It is beyond all boundaries of cultures and countries.
Even to this day, after so many years, I love cooking. It is something that
rejuvenates my body and mind and washes away all my worries and tiredness. It
purges away all my loneliness and gives me unimaginable happiness. It is a
character, within my personality, that nobody that relate to me. It has to
evolve from within. I too, never record any recipes on paper. None of the
delicacies I have created are written anywhere. It is all in my mind, like my
teacher Mr. Sinhala taught me. And everything gushes out from the hidden
chambers of my mind, whenever I place a slice of raw mango in my mouth!
The funny thing about my
disease is nobody knows when which memory will get erased. Thus, I write it
down here that, if I ever forget about this beautiful trait of my own self, my
experiment would be to cut a slice from a fresh raw mango and take a bite!
Once the pulp melts in
my mouth and I close my eyes, I would like to see whether the phoenix of the MasterChef
within me gets reborn or not! If our faith is true and the fables about the magical
powers of the raw mango are to be believed, I have full trust that I would be
able to recover all my culinary skills and restore the prized character that
defines me… Pravin Singhania!
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