"Omamoris" are good luck charms that are often sold at Buddhist and Shinto shrines in Japan. They are prayers on a small piece of wood, paper or cloth that are then wrapped in small brocade bags. They have omamoris for everything and they are believed to protect you from so many things. Their significance is somewhat the same as that of "tabeez/taweez" or "kavach" in India or other countries which too are believed to protect from evil eye and come in the form of lockets, armulets and protective shields. Omamoris are colourful as well as attractive ! A must buy gift when visiting shrines ! 

Food For Thought !

 

Cooking can sometimes cook stories! Cooking can invite stories revolving around the origin of the dishes. It is so creative to be able to create something in just a matter of few minutes. The magic of cooking is that it uplifts and relaxes you. 

 In the taste of certain cooking can you find relishing moments that are bygone. I had watched "Bun Maska" on Netflix some months back. It was a nice movie with a touching note. It reminded me that in taste can you find lost moments. And in places reside memories so vivid. This movie gave importance to legacy and tradition.

Every time I cook I am taken back to such happy and special moments spent with family and specially grandparents. Certain aromas remind me of wonderful times that I cherish till date. Being away from home certain aromas bring me closer to home. The tastes of certain dishes can really remind you of your mother or grandmothers. Once I had cooked something that so reminded my brother of my mother's cooking. Naturally being a daughter I cook the same way as my mother. I always say that sons may inherit the name of the family but daughters inherit the taste ("swad") of the home they were brought up in which is something so deep and precious that she takes with her to another home.

Food can make you quite philosophical too since it evokes certain thoughts, emotions and ideas in you. Something as simple as everyday traditional cooking can be food for thought!   Cooking can inspire me to write since I am very relaxed then and have time to reflect while waiting for the culmination of the ingredients to form a delicious dish. That's when my thoughts wander and the various sounds and aromas of the cooking create this world of thoughts for me where I get inspired to compare life to the experiences of the methods of cooking since I like to draw deep comparisons between many a things.

The other day while frying onions for a dish called biryani my thought was- When life fries you, you fry onions! Really such thoughts can make you feel somewhat better as they are therapeutic in some ways. The crackling sound of the onions in sizzling hot oil is a sound that I like since it relaxes me because it reminds me of home when onions used to be fried in the kitchen for biryani. Hence it is a comfort zone of sorts for me and the same goes with baking. I was actually thinking that after being deep-fried or shallow fried, onions can be used to enhance the flavour of so many dishes from biryani to burgers. The same way when life fries you, you can then adapt to every taste of life bitter and sweet !                 

 

 Not always does someone who can afford luxury can afford manners...

Together we can deal with it- Stuck in this together

 

STUCK TOGETHER is a film that I watched tonight on Netflix which is as it says in the end is for all those who have suffered  and dedicated to human solidarity. It revolves around peoples' lives during pandemic and their different ways of coping with it. The movie revolves around the residents of a certain building during pandemic lockdown and their journey to adjusting with one another and the new life. The movies has the base of a serious subject namely the world health crisis we are faced with and it addresses the two different stances taken by people in their responses to lockdown as well as their adapting to the new health threat in the world while blending it with a certain lightness of humour.It ends on a note of care and warmth for each other . 

Everybody's response to the health crisis is so different and that is visible in our daily lives. It appears as if people have just chosen two different sides but the important thing to remember that we all are actually on the same side on this as we are in this together. Or at least some sort of balance is necessary because we are "stuck together" in this. While both sides may differ and not relate to each other because of their conflicting views on how to respond to the health crisis that is threatening the world, what can bind them together are respect, sensitivity and humanity. Excess of anything can harm and effect relations particularly at this time since everybody is dealing with a lot of pressure right now and yet it is also necessary to respect the protocols and precautions in times of pandemic to protect each other. The common goal should be to be there for each other and protect each other through this.      

Kindness is all the more needed in these trying times when everyone is going through so much. Kindness could make life beautiful for all around you and including you. A kind word or a kind gesture goes a long way to help people not feel isolated in these times. People have to support each other and be a source of strength to each other right now as we are stuck in this together and battling an invisible threat. I can feel and see that kindness being demonstrated more around me as of late even amongst strangers these days as if everyone in their silent way is trying to be there for each other. We must keep doing that to help each other get through these times of challenges and heartbreaks caused by the pandemic. Life is already difficult but make it simple for each other...