A few years back, I was like Lorelai Gilmore,I'd be fuelled by Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. And then during Covid, when i started drinking 6 cups of strong filter coffee. I was getting more jittery and anxious. My stomach was constantly grumbling and I was rushing multiple times to the restroom. Embarassing, painful and very uncomforable but I could not get rid off the habit.
Then there was a constant altercation at home about the thickness of the coffee decoction. I wanted it thick and strong while everyone else at home wanted it watery and light. And in one instant, i vowed not to drink coffee anymore. The only other option was Chai. I am not a Chai-drinker. We do not even keep tea leaves at home. So the next day, ordered some tea leaves, a tea strainer and I was good to go. The effort to make chai for one person is high. The time to make chai is also higher, so the frequency automatically reduced. Infact, if I was too lazy in the evenings, even that 2nd cup would get missed. Remember, I am Lazy not just as a handle. I am!
So Chai became my Go-to drink. I could make it any way that I wanted. It was always only for me. More tea leaves if I wanted it dark. More water if I wanted it that way on a certain day. No one to consider while I am brewing my cuppa. WIth a Parle G or a crisp rusk dunked in chai, it is blissful. I am yet to get used to the taste of chai made by others. I usually find them almost burnt and tastelesss. I think it is more forgiving to have a bad chai than a mediocre coffee. And yet I would skip my chai if they do not serve it sugarless(which they dont in most chai stops).
It is late in the night and not probably the right time for chai, but all this writing about it makes me want to have one.
So until the next one, Happy Reading!
My Father-in-law was not the typical FIL who was distant and would not interact with his daughter-in-law. Well, initially he was like that and then he warmed up to my presence and opened up to me. Over the last few years, as we spent a lot of time together, as we were all living in the same home, he became my close friend, mentor, guide and my biggest cheerleader. He was born in Shimoga, grew up in Amrutur with his aunt, started his family in Sagara and eventually retired into Bangalore. 80+ years, he has had the most enviable life. Don't mistake it for a rosy life or a life with no issues or problems! He was one among 11 - 6 boys and 5 girls. He was the 2nd child and as his mother had more children, she needed help raising the kids and so she reached out to her sister in law to take care of him in Amruthur - a farmland. He grew up under the care of his aunt and love from his cousins, who were all girls. He would eat fresh food from the abundance of the farm and also drink milk so...
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