Cheese, grease and peace

This is another of my experiences in the kitchen as you probably might have guessed from the title. You know, I love to cook and do all the associated task that comes with it, grinding, chopping etc. But the thing I hate is to clean up the stove top which has got all of the stuff sticking to it like glue. Even my dearest hubby refused to take up this chore who usually helps with stuff in kitchen. So I had to do this all by myself on this Sunday night. Generally I keep postponing this stuff for as long as I can. I certainly would have loved to watch a movie after dinner than doing this but the sight was too pathetic that I decided to take it up right away. After using a good cleaning liquid, I finished up the task. Then the stove top looked nice and clean and would be a welcome sight for me when I start to cook Monday's lunch.

It reminded me of my grandmother and mother. My mother; no matter what starts the day after cleaning the gas stove every morning with a detergent followed by cleaning up the slab where the gas stove is placed and then boil milk for coffee. I was in awe of her patience coz I do this task once a week; twice rarely.

My grandmother's routine too would be to get up in the morning do the "vasal kooti, kolam pottu, adupu moluvi" and then start making coffee. In those days, she had a stove made of mud(she used a kerosene stove in the last few years of her life but kept using the mud stove also). Wood was bought and stored in the backyard, dried in the sun if there was a rain. Every morning, after removing the ashes of the previous day, the mud stove(mann adupu) would be dusted with a broomstick followed by a coating of water in which cowdung was dissolved.(Cow dung is used to line the floor and walls of buildings owing to its insect repellent properties, with some types of insects). Then it would be left to dry and over this she would do kolams. And then start the mud stove with few fresh wood and the rest the previous day's wood. The wood would be turned on with some dried coconut shell broken into pieces and dried cow dung cakes, dipped in kerosene and lighted with a match.

Reminiscing the above ,cleaning my electric stove top suddenly felt as a 'no big deal'. In my childhood, I got very few opportunities to stay with her as we lived far from home town. But in those few days, I have seen her daily regimen. She used to do it dutifully and with no complaints and with all sincerity. She is no more and there is no ancestral house anymore. But the memories are still afresh.

I know you must be now wondering about the title. I just did not find anything else.. meant to say the cheese on the stovetop turns greasy and takes away my peace. Now don't sulk, will find a better title next time :)