My Mama is a chic, beautiful, artistic and sensitive soul; a woman full of emotion. All the emotions. Emotions deep as oceans. All of the time. She nearly always smells of Chanel No. 5 as this was the first perfume given to her by my Grandpa and she just has an air of elegance about her. She was a teacher before she retired…her main subjects were English and Art and she can make anything look and sound beautiful as a result. She is also naturally predisposed to be a tad melodramatic. Perhaps the combination of all these things is why she has the tendency to read absolutely anything with her facial expression set into the wistful gaze of a daydreamer … which makes sense when reading the works of Byron, Shelley, Keats and whoever else… but when she also does it whilst reading the grocery list out loud, you know it has gone just that little bit too far.
Although I tease her about all the feeeeeeeeelings (and I write it that way to emphasise both the depth of them from her side and the eye-rolling about them from my side), please have no doubt that she is magical, generous, thoughtful, kind and her heart radiates love in the most powerful way. She is also a total Diva - a trait which is equal parts enchanting and terrifying (and genetic.) All those feeeeeeeeelings, combined with her propensity for deep thoughts and her advanced command of the English language, means that she often expresses herself by using “purple prose” (overly ornate vocabulary) - which I can tell you is as impressive as it is annoying. My nicknames for her are a deliberate juxtaposition to all that… I call her “Mooms”, “Moomaloo”, “Moomalicious” and "Lady Moomalade"… showing that all those fancy words I heard from her whilst growing up have really paid off.
In terms of food, my love for the stuff is totally down to her as she really is an absolutely incredible cook. My Papa’s food tastes are far more limited than hers and so, when I was born, she made it her mission to ensure that I would be a more adventurous dining partner for her as I grew up. Mission accomplished. She has been vegetarian most of her life and so most of her cooking is meat/fish free (and not a nut-roast in sight!) A variety of factors means that she had a very strong Mediterranean influence in her life from a really young age and, even though she was born in India and came to the UK as a young child, from a cooking perspective she is far more "Mamma Mia" than "Mother India." That being said, her Indian food is also extremely delicious … it is just that her kitchen’s heart and soul belongs to the Mediterranean… so it is no surprise that mine does too.
I could have chosen a picture of a cake to go with this post as my very first foodie memory (which you can find in the “About” section of this site) is of Mama baking a cake but I will save that for another time so that I can share with you a story of “the cake with the mistaken identity.” So, the photo I have chosen for this post instead is of artichokes because they remind me of her in a few ways… sophisticated, beautiful, mysterious … and a little bit thorny! I very clearly remember the first time I tried them with her when I was about 8 years old. We cooked them very simply (steamed) and then plucked off each leaf one by one, dipping them into a mixture of melted butter and lemon juice and biting the little bit of edible matter at the bottom of each leaf and then doing the same with the “heart” of the artichoke once we had reached it. I have since eaten artichoke prepared in so many fancy ways but the way I tasted it first is still my absolute favourite and is the only way I prepare and eat them at home.
I definitely wouldn’t be writing a blog about memories and food if it weren’t for the huge influence Mooms has had on me. So this whole blog is actually dedicated to her because she has always encouraged me to write (although when she sees how maverick I am with my grammar, I am sure she will be horrified!) Anyway, I look forward to writing this all and I hope that Moomaloo will enjoy reading it all… no doubt whilst surrounded by a gentle cloud of Chanel No. 5 and with her face set to “wistful gaze” mode. Regardless, if she enjoys it, then that is my Mission Accomplished.
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