Foraying into 4-Oh!

You might ask, why this is a Travel Tale. This tale has travelled a long way! It started its journey decades back, and now lies in the custody of a foodie-wife who couldn’t think of anything better to gift him!

To begin with, I have a problem (still) referring to him as my ‘husband’! Okay, don’t take this the other way around..its not a sad tale I am about to start on woes of a failed marriage or a beating-husband! I have this problem, because in all the 10 years of our absolutely rocking years of togetherness, I am yet to come across countable-worthy husband-like traits from this man.Which is not a complaint, by the way! It is the only way, I would want my world to be. A boyfriend, an entertainer, a handsome buddy and the father of the cutest twin-kidlets that have ever been born on earth!

This is for you, Guckloo! ‘You’re  not 40, you’re 18 with 22 years experience!’ :)You are a rockstar.A jamboree. A bird in perpetual flight. The cool dude. My confidante. My anchor. An avalanche of energy. And my best friend.I am not sure I find this surprising, but life for you  and with you is always on a constant celebration mode. Life’s a big party..and if there is anyone under the sun I can look up to for believing that ‘let and let live’ should be a way of life, it is you. Everyday becomes such a celebration with you around, that sometimes when momentous occasions like a 40th birthday seem to be around the corner, I feel at a loss of ideas!

Everytime I have asked you what you want on your (earlier) birthdays, I would have heard the weirdest of necessities. A pair of socks.(The trouble is: socks are exactly what you want!)House-sandals(?) A blank canvas. Two rechargeable batteries. This time, again, it was a disaster. Leather chappals! So, I decided I will do for you something(s) that I know you miss these days, since I am not able to devote so much of my time to that.

So, here’s my big deal that I planned for your 40th. I took the day off from work, to begin with. And then, I cooked my way in, and out of the day. A journey of your favourite foods, all day, that extended to a maddening party later in the weekend. Not much of a lamenter, and not a hard-to-please ‘young man, I thought it was one of the most beautiful culinary journeys I had embarked on, with the best co-passenger possible. There is nothing more pleasurable than cooking for you, and seeing you glee like the child that’s perpetually peeping out of your coat-pockets. To ensure you did just that,I baked for you, your favourite Banana Walnut Cake.

Turning 40 is not all that bad. Especially when the morning starts with a well-laid breakfast of payesh in a silver bowl, luchi and fulkopi’r shada torkari(Deep fried Indian bread served with Un-spiced Cauliflower and Green peas)! But does it really ‘hit’ you, the way it is often propagated? “Oh, you are over the HILL now”! Now you can be ‘naughty at forty’! It was all going well: you’ve gotten yourself a reasonably secure job, you have had a long-term partner and you’re now the proud father of a couple of under-fives and then it hits you – you’re 40 years old.

How did this happen? Really, how did this happen?

Last thing you remember you were going on single holidays, salsa-ing and  partying ‘till dawn and had nothing in your fridge other than beer and a half-eaten piece of fried-chicken..!!

My 40 year old young man -you deserve something better for sure!This delicious lunch of Spiced Chicken with Fresh Summer Salad was surely going to make you go weak in your knees! The dish was slightly inspired by the Aussie Masterchef Kitchen, as seen on Star World!

The evening was a simple you-and-me-dinner at one of our favourites: The Lotus Pavilion @ The ITC Gardenia. The birthday heralded beautiful weather into the city of Bangalore. The rain-Gods were happy with my cooking,I told him! My good friends at ITC, the charming Gaurav Soneja and the ever-helpful Parivesh Kumar made sure the evening was nothing short of a royal indulgence.

Back home, the following Friday, I threw the birthday boy his due party. A circle of close friends, our terrace, Mou’s husky,sexy voice singing all-time favourites(here’s a sample you can listen to!), a dash of my crooning ‘Bawra Mann’ to please the birthday boy,impromptu dances, tequila shots, and absolutely gorgeous food. Here’s the man-of-the-match from that.. A Kashmiri ‘Wazwan’ Inspired Mutton Curry!

I couldn’t end this post nor the party with at least one 40th birthday joke: 🙂

John was just turning 40 and he had been playing golf all his life.

He comes home one day and said to his wife, “That’s it, I will have to give up golf, my eyesight is that bad I can’t see where the ball is going anymore.”

His wife in trying to cheer him up replied, “I am sure you can give it one more go. Take my older brother with you.”

“What good is that,” replied John. “He’s nearly 90.”

“He may be nearly 90 but his eyesight is perfect,” replied his wife.

Next day, off they went to play golf. John is a bit shaken up because of the previous day, but confident in his brother-in-law’s eyesight. He tees up, breathes slowly and steps forward. And with an all mighty swing – drives the ball down the fairway.

He turns to his brother-in-law and asks, “Did you see the ball?”

“Of course John” replied his brother-in-law. “I have perfect eyesight”.

John, all excited, turns back again and says “Where did it go?”

(Split second silence) “I don’t remember”.