For the love of food

I am a big foodie. I eat a lot. But I have a highly selective palette. Somehow, good old ‘ghar ka khaana’ does not cut it for me. When I hear people say that they are craving home-made food, an (unintentional) smirk curls up my face.  And no, before you jump to any conclusions, my dislike for ‘ma ke haath ka khaana’ is not because my mother can’t cook. She can. I like her cooking, but only a couple of times a week; any more than that and I start whining. I’d rather make myself some Maggi or order pizza the entire week and have home-made food as a special treat.

So, when people get all teary eyed about missing home cooked delicacies, I can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

When I asked my seniors why all the hype, they replied with all knowing smiles. Once you go to a hostel or get a job far from home, simply seeing food makes you nostalgic, they said. It’s not just the food; you want to relive the aroma, the harmless bickering, and the meaningless debates that accompany it. And they spoke about how horrible the hostel mess is. They spoke in a manner so sincere that I could not help but feel it was the plain and honest truth.

And now I am scared. I am starting college in a month. On the one hand the prospect of living in the college hostel seems alluring. It will be an entirely new experience-an adventure. But the thing is I am not big on adventure on an empty stomach. And if I were to live in a hostel, an empty stomach is pretty much guaranteed, considering the frightening tales I have recently heard about hostel food. (I did counter that we could always order junk, but was shut up by the mention of ‘pocket money’)

You see my dilemma here! Should I explore the unknown realms of hostel food or stay at home to avoid the nostalgia (if and when it does turn up!)

I think I’ll just toss a coin.