The Potato and me

Well... one look at my photo speaks of the intimate relationship that I share with the round, attractive, omnipotent, fattening, tasty, enemy of dietitian and friend of all erstwhile Adnan Sami's , the grand POTATO. Before I move on to the epilogue of praise for my dear friend, let me try to elucidate a little on the etymology of our story's protagonist ( i m in the second lead role :)).

Potato, or AALOO as it is called in hindi... ALLOO in maithili.... BATATA in marathi... is a name whose genesis is not known but the fact that it's an integral part of one or the other dish of all major countries speaks of the 'epic'ness of the name. It's used in various forms, but is preferred boiled, meshed and fried... mostly referred to as BHARTA or CHOKHA....

now this animal called chokha is the one that has given potato a world-class fame... used in making a range of food items... from aaloo tikki (used even by McD) to samosa...and from aaloo paratha to masala dosa.... it has been used across territories and across the barriers of human boundaries...

My acquaintance with this friend is as old as my first attempt to eat anything solid... there are several family tales (often embarrassingly narrated by my mom) talk about my early fascination with this thing.... when i was a kid... i used to keep crying for potatoes in my veg curry... and would keep fishing for all the potatoes in the bowl to consume them with utmost pleasure... when i started munching living beings like chicken and mutton, the potato never got neglected... my dad (he is the cook when it comes to non-veg food in house) made it a point to put in enough potatoes to keep me satiated with the meal... he would have hardly realized it then that this little infant infatuation of mine would turn out into a militant romance by adolescence...

Time went by and my love and admiration for the round thing increased by leaps and bounds... i did not realize that gradually i had also started acquiring the shape of my romantic hero....round and attractive.... my passion grew with aaloo parathas cooked by mom ...so much so ...that if i would have 3-4 normal chappatis... i could effortlessly have 6-8 parathas in a single meal... the effect was more than just visible... i witnessed a gradual bulge beneath my chest...and few months later my sister enlightened me to the fact that i own a tummy now....

"I own a tummy!!!" .... i was thrilled... i was getting completely in the shape of my hero...my friend..my love.... i went to college where i got introduced to French Fries served in the mess... the love got a new angle... and the bulge a new circumference... job took me to punjab...and then the aaloo kulchas... job transferred me to mumbai ...and then Vada Pav....

Oh god!!! with every passing day...my love and passion for my darling potato is increasing.... it's so heartening to see it present in some or the other form all over the country... i hope it enjoys an equally respectable status abroad also....

O dear Potato...
Come what may..i'll never leave you...
Curse on all the Gyms and VLCC's
Damn all the Sauna belts and slimming machines...

Potato..thou rule... and shall ever do...
Amen Amen....