Children’s Day Special
A creatively plated meal, a beautifully rolled out bread or cookie, a thematically arranged salad, a decorated smoothie: they are often more than just a dish or a drink; they are like tales served on a plate or swirled in a glass. Quite often we see the wildest of imaginations come to life when someone serves love through food! Parents and grandparents often come up with shapes, colours, and ingredients that weave a story and make meal-times fun and exciting for the children around them.
We at ELSA Table have had the privilege to listen to a few such joyful stories in our quest for this special Children’s Day Collective. We had the wonderful chance of listening to ELSAs, even some of those who are grandmothers now and also those who recalled special moments with their grandmothers. Others spoke of what they have created over the years to make food experiences of their children more interesting and memorable – from everyday meals to special treats to festive delights and birthday specials. We bring to you a special ELSA Collective, dedicated specially to children!
Of grandmas and rotis: Nalini
Well, our first story is from Nalini who recounts how both her grandmothers made a simple, humble roti look interesting and exciting to her four-year-old self 🙂
“One would imagine there’s not much that can be done to make a roti attractive – a boring white, flat circle with random dark patches and tasteless by itself,” recounts Nalini, ”but bring a grandma into the picture and you can be sure she will find a way to liven things up for a four year old!”
At my nani’s (maternal grandmother’s) place, just before meal-times, I would stand next to her and watch intently as she shaped the dough into a little ball, rolled it out into a perfect circle, placed it on the tawa to cook and, just before she put it on the direct flame, looked at me and said, “ab dekhna ye gubbare ki tarah phoolegi (it’s going to puff up like a balloon)”. And indeed, magically, that’s just what it did! Every time!
My dadi (paternal grandmother) would quickly and expertly cut out a bird shape from the rolled-out roti, complete with tail and beak. She would then cook it on the tawa, smear the roti with ghee, and present it to me on a plate. Rest assured, the delighted little me would gobble up the birdy treat in no time!
Cute cookies and beautiful smiles: Sandhya
Sandhya serves many stories on her children’s platters. She makes them dosas shaped as cats and moon but what gives her greater delight is when she rolls out lots of cookies in shapes and sizes her children ask for! With us she shares photos of her delighted daughter who had finished helping Sandhya prepare heart and star-shaped cookies cut out with playdoh cutters and had carefully placed them on the baking tray. Her beautiful smile made the experience so memorable!
The hugs I received were more than I could have asked for: Indira
This story is so special! It is over 3 decades old but an experience which till today is fresh in this mother’s heart. Let’s hear it from Indira as she recalls a fine evening with her children. “When my children were young, I enjoyed cooking for them. It was, for me, a way to express my love for them! What they enjoyed most were my cakes and desserts and I do remember turning out exotic stuff. So once when they were at school, I took the plunge and made chocolate eclairs. Believe me it was an effort. They were delighted and polished it off fast.
“Oh Amma,” they said, “you need not have bothered buying this from Defence Bakery! But it’s so yummy and the best we have eaten.”
I smiled and told them the ‘baker’ was me! The hugs I received were more than I could have asked for!
Spooky cookies and a caterpillar: Madhulika
Madhulika’s daughter and her friends made some interesting cookies themed around Halloween this year. The cookies seemed to have crept straight out of spooky cartoon shows! Madhulika also shared with us a photo of a boiled egg served in the shape of a cute caterpillar 🙂 She derived her inspiration for this one from a food blog she had visited. I have been wondering if I can ever eat something so beautifully presented! Madhulika suggests we use ketchup to both enhance the taste and garnish the cute egg salad.
Phew! Feeding them is not easy: Nevedita
How beautifully Nevedita combines creativity and nutrition! We can see this so well through the photos she has shared with us. At times the plate turns into a canvas that displays trees and animals and at other times it turns into a racing car circuit! Let’s hear it from her about how she arrived at these beauties. “Kids are usually picky eaters when it comes to vegetables and fruits,” say Nevedita,”my li’l monkey runs away when he sees vegetables in a plate. As a Mum here are a few suggestions.”
Star-shaped cakes, raviolis, mocktails, and themed birthday parties: Kanupriya
With great pride and love Kanupriya’s daughter recalls how Kanu made all her birthdays so special! From a Princess cake to a cake with a pink star planted on it, she recalls how her mother made each birthday special and planned the birthday around her favourite characters of that time. Kanu’s daughter fondly recalls the days when Kanu was learning to cook from different cuisines. She says each day the after-school snack used to be something healthy, creative, and was a different cuisine each time – it appeared as though there was a treasure chest revealing all the goodies! Kanu shares with us a lovely photo of the mother-daughter duo. Her daughter feels proud that her mother served her such exotic and special dishes –from raviolis to tacos to momos – with each dish carefully packed with nutrition.
Christmas-themed mini uttapams: Kaveri
“My children have been my favourite Santas,” states Kaveri, ”and they inspired me to make some Christmas-themed mini uttapams for their snacking: uttapam discs with Santa’s hats, the snowflake symbol, and reindeer antlers have now become a Christmas tradition in my home.”
We are sure all of you must have served such experiences to your family at some time, especially children or, as Nalini mentioned, we must have been served such interesting food during our childhood by our doting adults! May all children live healthy, happy lives and bring more and more joy to us all.
Happy Children’s Day!
