Price and Value are two very different things. This realization becomes stronger with each passing year.
(No, this post will not talk about age, in general, but it will talk about the side effects. Side effects which are not related to your knee or back or glasses. 😄)
Birthdays come and go. Elections come and go. World Cups also come and go.
But the steady flow of wisdom with each passing day thankfully stays, in most cases. Life opens up new experiences but at the same time also helps me to appreciate the 'older' ones better.
I understand the difference between 'price' and 'value' more and more.
For example, many years back when my mom made "Alu-Potoler torkari" (Potato-Pointed-Gourd curry), I used to make a not-so-happy face. I liked the vegetable (pointed gourd) more than pumpkin no doubt, but still made a face.
You know the face, the "Myee..hhhh" face.
However, a "myehh" face, specially at anything on my plate was strictly prohibited at home.
Ma had strict instructions.
"Thalay ja dewa hobe shob khete hobe"(you have to eat whatever is served on your plate).
So I had to hide the 'myehh' expression and just eat it, basically swallowing most of it down with water with hopes of seeing fish curry on my plate the next day.
Potol (Pointed gourd) was a simple summer vegetable, hence not that pricey. Therefore, Ma served potol-curry and rice quite frequently.
I only understood its "value" at different stages of my life later.
Stage 1: Hostel life
Although I admit that hostel life was the best part of my life, food was really bad. Vegetarian hostel food in those days were pure torture. All sorts of mushy, slippery, unattractive vegetables were served in the most ugly looking curries one could think of. Tears welled up in my eyes on certain days .....it was that bad.
Missed Ma's cooking. Anything and everything.
If only something cooked by Ma would magically appear on the table!
Even if it was POTOL-alu dalna!
Nothing like that happened, I just got used to the hostel food, complained less and found far more important things to enjoy.
Stage 2: Pregnancy
The first three months were awful, could not eat a grain.
Hormones were being crazy. Mood was all over the place. Poor husband tried to maintain peace.
The next six months were super! Eternally hungry ! Taste buds craving for everything.
If only food would be served! I fell in love with vegetables, all of them.
Pictures of Potol-curry danced around me like the distant desert mirages. The curry which was so 'Myeeh' in my childhood became a delicacy in my dreams...if only Mom was around to cook me a bowl of Potol curry.
Potol was not available in Netherlands, so no Potol-curry was served!
Stage 3: Now!!
I actually love Potol now, in any form.
The value of these vegetables and home cooked food is now well understood (thanks to the number of years added to my life....no one can deny the wisdom that the years have added).
Unfortunately Potol is not that easily available in the shops near my house. However, by God's extreme grace, I do have a friend who lives in a house which is close to an Indian store that sells Potol. This summer, my craving for Potol exceeded all other years and I went up to my friend P, to request him to get me a kilogram of this lovely vegetable. P got the vegetable and planned to hand it over at work (we work at the same office). But I could not go to work the day after, so he passed it on to his wife S. S works close to my house, so I drove to her office to pick up the kilogram of Potol from her.
As I waited outside her office for her to come out after work and handover the bag of precious Potol to me.....I smiled to myself!
Am I the same person who is doing all this ....just for Potol?
The "value" of Potol must have appreciated multiple times over the years.........
I came back home with Potol in my bag and plans in my head to use each and every bit of the lovely vegetable.
Day 1: Fried 2 potols (Saved the peels) -- ate too fast, no photos.
Day 2: Made Potol posto with 4 Potols (Saved the peels) --ate too fast, no photos
Day 3: Made Alu-Potol dalna (Saved the peels)
Day4: Made Potol-khosha-bata (Used all the saved peels)
That is what I call "Value of a Vegetable".
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| Alu-Potol dalna |
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| Potol-khosha-bata |
Thank you P and S.
