I'm not one of those moms who take great pride in a spotlessly clean kitchen. I'm easy with a splotch here or a spill elsewhere. And of course, that kind of attitude can come to a person only in S'pore where we're lucky to have stay-at-home help :-).
So, V&S's entry into the kitchen started quite early. When younger, they would be perched on my hip watching keenly as I threw in a dash of turmeric into the boiling sambhar. They smelled, they tasted and they played in the kitchen. A small ball of dough or a bowl of water kept them engaged for a good half hour by which time I managed the evening's meal.
We've always tried to keep our kitchen a fun place. We have bright yellow flowers in an even brighter yellow jug, music, Shriya's pink play kitchen, an entire wall dedicated to all the art and craft that the kids churn out every week.We even used to have a kid-sized table and chairs where they used to draw/colour and chat with me as I cooked.
And of course, we share our kitchen with Lord Ganesha, who gets to taste everything that is cooked.Shriya will promptly grab a bit of everything- be it an omelette or noodles- and place it right under Ganeshji's nose.
V&S are good helpers to have around the kitchen- they will very willingly peel a dozen eggs for the egg curry or mash a mound of potatos for the bhaji. They can cook a decent cheese omelete, make blueberry muffins with the help of Betty Crocker and fix their own sandwich and milk. Not Junior Master Chef surely,but not a bad a star either.
These days, of course, they cant be entertained with just a bowl of water or a piece of dough. So they dangle their legs and sit on the workspace near my cooking area and watch intently. I love to watch their eyes grow big as the various spices change colour, their noses wrinkling up as I give them a sniff of asafoetida, and mouths drooling when something they particularly like is cooking away.
You guys better keep the interest going...I am still hoping for that cooked breakfast treat on Mother's Day sometime soon!
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