Had I received an invite to Michelle
Obama's 50th, I would have been quite happy with the 'Snacks & Sips
& Dancing & Dessert' format. I always wonder why parties are
mostly about food. There should be fun and games and lots of
laughter. Food should be a sidekick and not the hero. But not many share
my perception. Whenever it's a birthday, the first question that friends pop is
"Where are you taking us for a treat?" Nobody asks
where are we going for fun. Looks like food is the idea of fun
for majority. I like good food but is this the only way to
celebrate? I beg to differ. Thanks to Mrs. Obama, I get the courage
to come out in the open.
The thing is, I get into a
huge dilemma at parties. I am a slow but an enthusiastic eater. At the
same time, I love to socialize. But I am not able to do justice to both endeavors
simultaneously. Juggling between commenting when the mouth is
free and listening when the mouth is full is quite an art which
I haven't mastered yet. It's like facial acrobatics. So I go around meeting people
unburdened with a plate. Others, however, don't lose much time in starting their
food odyssey. This makes me a late starter. By the time, I finish soup and
starter, people are moving on to dessert. While I am still ploughing through my main course, people are already passing their verdict on dessert. As they
put away their plates, they go past me whispering conspirationally 'Don't miss gulabjamuns.
They are divine but getting scarce.' That stops me dead in my grind. Now
I have to rush to gulabjamuns and make way for them in my plate which
is already weighing under main course and....yeah, a third helping of
gobi manchurian. So like a sangam, I have a triveni of starter, main
course and dessert in my plate. Now I get a little sheepish and don't want
to be seen as a greedy pig. I skulk in a corner and try to finish the
damned fare, divine gulabjamuns and all. By the time I finish, the caterers
are folding their linen and guests have started leaving. So much for my socializing
hopes!
The issue gets further accentuated
at weddings. In big fat Indian weddings, there are so many dishes that I
come back feeling bloated and defeated. Tummy space is at a premium and should
not be filled with plebeian noodles but devoted to exotic walnut halwa. Did I
use the space judiciously, is my perpetual worry. My request to hosts is that instead
of serving so much food on one single evening, they sponsor one dish every
day of the month or two dishes for a fortnight for me - the choice is theirs. I am quite
an adjusting person really.
So if I were at Mrs.
Obama's party, I could have easily danced and socialized without
worrying about "Have I taken enough helpings of that heavenly starter so
as not to regret later?" Her party would be more about fun and less
about food. I wouldn’t have to rack my brains on what to eat and what
to give a miss. And I could eat more of less - I hope there would have been
no limits on number of servings? More helpings of limited starters
and desserts, that would have been my strategy. Was that allowed, Mrs. Obama?
My only grudge to an
otherwise perfect invite is 'Eat before you come' part. It sounded rather
matronly. Agreed she's mom-in-chief but the guests coming over weren’t
exactly kids. I was planning to eat just enough so that my tummy
wouldn’t have grumbled when I wished Mrs. Obama happy
50th.
As for a party favor, gift
vouchers for a Michelin starred restaurant wouldn't have been amiss!
PS: This piece was published in Deccan Herald 'Right in the Middle' section.
http://m.d
PPS: Wondering how to celebrate the published piece :)
