The title of the post tells, if I'd ever be famous, what proverb people would be using about me. Yes, I love food. and it is one of the reasons why I think life is so beautiful. I am particularly happy because I am born in Pakistan where food is simply not delicious but scrumptious. We Pakistanis do not eat food to live but we live to eat food. Everyday, the challenge of the person who is responsible for cooking in the house is to figure out what to cook today? I am sure no other culture or country find this so challenging. Food is one of the reasons as to why if I'd be given another life, I would love to be born in Pakistan. I don't know how the rest of the world recognize us, but I recognize my country because of the variety of delicious food.
Below are the points where you can see how important is food for us:
1) We go to the wedding parties only to eat food. The purpose is partially to socialize but this too is food socialization. The reason is not at all to celebrate with the bride and groom. In the wedding parties, even the strangers help each other in filling the table with all the food served around. If the food isn't good, the party is considered a failure. If the food is good, even the most lousy party is considered a success.
2) The long breaks on Friday for the people out for work is strategically arranged to have this and that particular food in this or that restaurant/ street.
3) If a mother takes her children to some relatives and tells, Oh my child is too small to eat then it is a psychological obligation on the child to eat as much as and as fast as they can.
4) Only those relatives are loving who serve us nice food, others we just keep normal relationship with.
5) We receive a food platter everynow and then from the neighborhood in the name of "niaz" (food served for religious purpose). I don't know why but the biryani of niaz is always more delicious than the normal biryani.
The best of the foods: So here I list the best of the best foods we have. You may add to the list if I skip something. If I make a real list, then it will reach infinity.
1) Biryani- somehow I am a biryani ambassador. I make biryani out of anything from meat, chicken, fish, chickpeas, vegetable, to the versions that are relatively little known like daal biryani, kebap biryani,
2) Haleem- A mix of meat with lentils and lots of herbs for garnishing and requires hours to cook. It is commonly made in the first Islamic month but with the more easier versions to cook through the packet haleem masalah, now it can be made any day any time
3) Kebaps- which kebaps we do not have? I know kebaps are very common in all the middle eastern countries but as we like to put daal in everything, our kebaps are commonly made with daal.
4) Chola chat, dahi baray, pakoray etc. - Yes we are lentils eating nation. Here too, we like to make lentils cake, lentils snacks, lentils cookies and are widely cooked during Ramadan. We don't care how much it messes up with our digestive system during Ramadan but we think a Ramadan without such lentil snacks is not a real Pakistani Ramadan.
5) Vegetables- We want to overcook everything. For meat and stuff, it might make sense, but we do want to cook vegetables so much so that the real color is gone. And it is hell spicy. But it is really really nice. and we want to garnish it with more spices.
6) Street food - This is a separate category in itself, although it is some variations of all mentioned above but it has its own taste. Whenever we plan to go to Pakistan for holidays, we vow each other for each as much as and as many times as possible. This is the basic motivation for going back. Irony is that the more unhygienic it is, the more delicious it is. As a home-made food can never taste the same no matter how much energy you put it. Aah, so much to say about it, I promise I will try my best to write a separate blog about it.
6) Street food - This is a separate category in itself, although it is some variations of all mentioned above but it has its own taste. Whenever we plan to go to Pakistan for holidays, we vow each other for each as much as and as many times as possible. This is the basic motivation for going back. Irony is that the more unhygienic it is, the more delicious it is. As a home-made food can never taste the same no matter how much energy you put it. Aah, so much to say about it, I promise I will try my best to write a separate blog about it.
Spices- We don't cook food but we cook spices and put little food in it. We use all kinds of spices in any kind of food like red chilies, green chilies, black pepper, white pepper, hot spices, you name it. That is the special thing about our food and it can go as extrme as it looks some people cook food in the spices. Benefit is that even if the food is spoiled, it can never taste or smell bad because any stingy thing can easily hide behind the spices. That is the main reason why street food never gets rotten (Yes a later messed up stomach is another issue).
Once, my father (who was the best cook of his time :) made haleem. He made a platter of haleem for our neighbor and garnished it with lots of spices and said, these people will die out of spices. After making the platter, he left the room. I was really little at that time (may be 5 or 6). I repeated the sentence and added even more spices on top. I have no clue how the neighbor survived that haleem and I don't care. He was my worst enemy of mine at that age.
So which food do you like and your specific reasons for liking it. Looking forward to hear that from you all !!!
Once, my father (who was the best cook of his time :) made haleem. He made a platter of haleem for our neighbor and garnished it with lots of spices and said, these people will die out of spices. After making the platter, he left the room. I was really little at that time (may be 5 or 6). I repeated the sentence and added even more spices on top. I have no clue how the neighbor survived that haleem and I don't care. He was my worst enemy of mine at that age.
So which food do you like and your specific reasons for liking it. Looking forward to hear that from you all !!!
