Firstly, what I am going to put forth in front of you is not just about being an ordinary kid studying at high school, but about me who has passed half of my life studying in a boarding school. You probably wouldn’t really understand what it feels to be away from home. Boarding has taken me “FAR” from several things such as my beloved mother pampering me for everything possible, not forgetting her home cooked delicious food. Uttering this reminds me of the aroma which used to sway out of the kitchen, where my mom used to cook our daily meals.
One day, among the several early mornings, I found myself awake not knowing that it was 4 O’clock in the morning. Having not eaten home cooked food for so long, I had aroused in me a feeling to eat a four-course meal. This feeling had taken away my sleep and I was already up, ready to go and eat, although knowing that I was going to be served only breakfast which would be nothing more than an over-boiled bowl of vegetables.
I would like to share with you, a fact that I remember while talking about luscious foodstuffs. In my hostel, we weren’t allowed to get any type of tuck (it’s slang for secretly brought food from home). During routine days my friends and I used to walk towards the dining hall for dinner. After settling ourselves on the dining tables, we were ready to pounce on some "edible" brown colored goop. However, after the food was served, everyone suddenly became silent and wore the expression that said, “Not that again!” when the fifty-four year old, worn out, grumpy looking waiter with a belly as big as that of an elephant served us the monotonous Monday meals.
We starved students realized that we could not keep living our lives like this, so we began to think out of the box. We decided to open up our secret foodstuffs kept in our hiding places and we thought about cooking it in whichever possible manner. Together we stockpiled the entire foodstuff we had, the majority of the people voted for Maggi noodles and I was amongst them. In total there were only four friends who had decided to stay back and cook the noodles even though we didn’t have any means of cooking it. The others had backed out, afraid of the possible consequences of being caught by their teachers. We, who were left behind, were discussing several methods as to how to cook the Maggi noodles.
At this point we all were heartily convinced that our boarding school really did not give enough variety to choose from. At last, all of us decided to cook our Maggi noodles individually in small glasses. We put these glasses, which contained our long awaited meal, in a bucket containing hot water. We were conscious that this water was the bathing water we utilized everyday. In order to speed up the cooking process, we thought of applying some science to it. It may seem ridiculous, but for four twelve year olds being able to apply these basic heating principles to actual life was something to be proud of. So we kept our textbooks on top of the glasses containing the Maggi noodles, to form a sort of homemade pressure cooker. Although the cooker was by no means advanced in any shape or form it seemed to be working.
Eagerly we stood around the glasses, waiting for the Maggi to come to a boil and finish cooking. We all surrounded the bucket as if it held great importance and value. We would check every 10 seconds, hoping to devour our feast. Impatient as we were, we could not wait to see the final result. Going empty stomach was not a major concern for us, but what really mattered was that everyone wanted to try out something different than what we had been stuffing into our mouths since a time period long enough to be forgotten. Everyone’s mouths were watering in anticipation. I am convinced that it would have been the same with you as well, that is if you were unfortunate enough to be in a similar situation as us. I have no doubt that you would have felt the same way.
At last, our long awaited meal had finished cooking and it sat there in front of us waving and wafting its delicious aroma towards us. These sensations teased and taunted us, and our hungry stomachs growled in desperation for homemade food, even though it was made in an unorthodox manner.
All four of us looked at each other nervously and eagerly, not sure who should take the first bite. Then after having held back the entire time, I took a bite. " Well, maybe I shouldn’t act so modest, after all, we live in an island of nothing floating upon an ocean of plenty, " I thought to myself.
It was as if I was deprived of food the most, out of the entire group. Then the first bite of the delicious food went into my mouth. It really did not bother me, how we had made it because the end result was worth it. It was followed by the distribution of the cooked meal, to each and everyone, and it was made sure that everyone had an equal share for all the hard work involved.
On the whole, the risk involved in the plan was totally worth it. To add detail to our master plan, I would rightfully like to include that all four of us were hungry enough to finish six packets of Maggi noodles. After we were done, we were satisfied enough to prove that we had cooked exceptionally well. The ending was even better, all of us had to wash our glasses which had already been licked clean. In addition to that, our plan had been even more successful as the teachers had not caught us.
I guess this was one of the most memorable days in my life. It had brought smiles to our faces and had given us an adventure to laugh at. More than anything the prospect of relishing something as meager as this adds to the taste and aroma of life!
Links: Image - http://staticp3.fotolia.com/jpg/00/10/41/84/400_F_10418462_kGV9ehabbDzUWX63HYXjAiRuE71xSfY2.jpg
Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edjdWC3p8Ho
