Some nights, I surely do stare at the kitchen as if it were my enemy. Those days when you come back home exhausted, your spirits utterly drained by the traffic, and still—someone asks,
“Khaane mein kya hai?” That’s the time I feel grateful to the person whoever is behind the invention of easy meals and heat and eat food.
To tell you the truth, I used to have a guilty conscience about not cooking fresh every day. My mother would always arch an eyebrow at me when I would say “Aaj ready-made kha lete hain.”
But now even she quite likes it when supper is done in five minutes flat. These instant meals are just like silent heroes—there is no drama involved and no dishes are done, and there is no stress either.
Take last Sunday for instance I had my cousins over. Each one of them was asking for something different—one requested biryani another was asking for rajma chawal and my little sister was wanting pav bhaji.
Rather than freaking out, I just opened a few packs of prepared food from Aap Ka Bazar. Heated them up served with a smile, and boom—everyone was happy.
The best part? I really got to sit with them and have chai instead of running around like a restaurant waiter.
I think this is a common tendency in all of us to make meals more complicated than they really are. But chopping onions every night is just not worth it when the night is so short. On such busy weekdays. I just want something that is warm, tasty. ready fast. Just like that comforting bowl of dal and rice that you can make in 3 minutes flat. Or paneer butter masala that tastes just right without spending an hour in front of the stove.
Once in a while I even take a couple of packets to the office along with my lunch. When time is short for lunch brakes and every one is ordering expensive takeaways, I just put my heat and eat meal in the microwave.
It’s cheaper, quicker, and still feels like food from home. One of my colleagues gave it a try once and remarked, “Yaar, this is actually good!” I smiled like a maestro, although I only ŕipped a packet open.
