A few days back when my
brother Jacob called to say that he was planning a ‘Cards & Curry’ session at
our Tharavad, Thekkanattu Parayil,
Olavipe I was rather stuck. I didn’t
know what it meant. Any way, Jacob explained and I told him to go ahead.
Well, the event is just a
session of games, lunch tea, refreshments and fellowship for a compatible group. In
this case, just our cousins and their children. About sixty turned up.
Arrangements were made for gin & rummy,
table tennis, caroms, one ring basketball, chess, Bridge, and Monopoly. Nobody
took up the last three. Why rack the brain instead of relaxing.Gin Rummy of course was the most popular. The children
had their own amusements.
Some sat away quietly,
catching up with the news, but a little one preferred the hammock. A few
quietly listened to music. Some went walking around the estate. Because of the
inclement weather, backwater events were not planned.
The fellowship was of course
nice. The refreshments were popular. But an unplanned but very interesting
development was impromptu discussions on matters ranging from agriculture to
the rupee slide. They were useful.
Now, the food. There was
something unique about it, apart from the quality. The whole range was prepared
by the gentlemen guests. The kitchen staff only had to watch and perhaps learn
a few new things. The ladies in the family group were totally free to join
whatever activities that they liked
other than cooking
The chef was Kunjavirachan,
a medical practitioner with many years of experience. His specialty for the
day was “Suriyani Biriyani”, a name which many may not have heard. I don’t know
what additional ingredients went into it compared to the ordinary biriyani. It
was delicious.
There was barbeque and some
of the regular snacks like tiny river fish fried, sliced vegetables, chips and so on. What I liked
best was something I never had before – chena
(elephant foot yam) balls. Absolutely great with drinks.
We wound up at about 6 in the evening after tea with sandwiches and the usual accompaniments.. It was a most enjoyable day – for Rs.250/ per head, all inclusive.
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