That day I wished I was not a non vegetarian as it was only giving me trouble - I could not eat food I wanted in peace, and I did not want the food that was cooked at home.
That day I wished I was not a non vegetarian as it was only giving me trouble – I could not eat food I wanted in peace, and I did not want the food that was cooked at home.
When I was getting married I had a lot of people giving me advice on how I should behave. How I won’t get things of my choice after marriage! How my world would turn upside-down after marriage!
In the pursuit of becoming an independent woman I actually have become a girl who can’t be caged. I have earned my freedom by sacrificing a lot of things, but marriage has a completely different definition in India.
After marriage there is no more a plethora of choices to choose for myself anymore. It’s like from now, whatever I do it will be for others.
I was scared.
I got married to my beloved, but he believed in the thought “No matter what my parents will always be right!” Which was tough, because I have always been an outspoken girl who doesn’t accept something wrong without questioning it.
But now, his mother was a firm believer in spirituality, and saatvik vegetarian food.
The initial days were fine, but soon I started to realise that my love for non-vegetarian food was very strong, and that I can’t live without it for many days.
My beau had promised me before our marriage that I didn’t have to leave my food likes and dislikes to marry him, yet after marriage how many days could I have eaten outside? There were days on which he would bring me meal from KFC, or something handy that I could eat in my bedroom. But then there would be no room left for dinner in my tummy.
Soon, my mother in law began to comment on my not eating anything. This scared me so much that I asked him not to bring food from outside, but then I also could not eat the veg dinner with zeal.
My husband is a dog lover, and once when I saw him feeding a street dog a chicken leg piece, I was jealous. Seriously, I wanted to kill myself for being jealous of a street dog. That day I wished I was not a non vegetarian as it was only giving me trouble – I could not eat food I wanted in peace, and I did not want the food that was cooked at home.
Now, for the first in my life, I started pleading with my colleague to bring mutton in lunch more often. I even agreed to pay for it which she refused to take. “It’s being cooked quite often at home,” she Sais with a wink. “You need not worry.”
Eating inside the house wasn’t allowed (hence the hiding and eating in my bedroom), forget about cooking it on the stove. So I was flabbergasted one day when my father in-law brought home momos. There were two packets, and he told me, “the above one is yours.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, and put it on a platter and got them out. Which is when he said, that the upper one was for my husband and me, as it was chicken. I was so happy that I wanted to hug him, but I just uttered a thank you!
As I took a bite, I looked at my mother-in-law; she wasn’t happy but as papa had bought it she kept quiet.
Then the next day he bought butter chicken, I was like, it’s too much. He smiled and said, “Eat. Since six months you haven’t eaten what you like!”
Two days later, and for 3 consecutive days, he bought something or the other. I was elated, but I said, “Papa, it’s all outside food and I can’t eat non-veg this often from outside. My stomach will be upset.”
He laughed. “Maybe you don’t like only chicken,” he said, “You must like variety.” As I stared at him in confusion, he shared, “23 years ago I used to eat non-veg. I was finicky about it too, and loved variety. Your mother influenced me to leave this habit.”
I was amazed to realise how easily he could read my dilemma about eating monotonous food. That same evening he called me. “Cook ghiya (gourd) for me and mummy, don’t make anything for you both.”
I demanded, “Why?” To which he said, “Just don’t.”
That evening when he came home, he had a big box of food smelling scrumptious from far away. Mutton. I never tasted such tasty mutton before, it satisfied all my 5 senses.
Later, he told me that it was he who cooked the mutton for his daughter (that’s me).
I further demanded, “Where?” As our kitchen is sacred and non-veg is prohibited.
He said, in his friend’s office kitchen. 23 years after he had stopped eating non-veg, he had touched non-veg for me. Since then every week he brings me one dish cooked by him, though he himself would never eat it. He did this for me. I am now fond of his hand made delicious recipes!
Image source: a still from non veg challenge by Sejal Singh/ Youtube
A passionate scribbler and wishful bread earner. A voracious reader and loves to connect readers and writers. Author of Ibiza by Geetika Kaura (the name before marriage), worked as a co-author in various anthologies, read more...
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