Mother's Day

I nervously kept glancing at my husband splayed out on the couch next to me post-lunch, “oh no, the delivery has been delayed. And it’s past midday already.” He, ever so casually, gives me a sly smile and replies, “Why don’t you call them?” I sigh. 

The eagerly awaited drama behind that conversation is as follows. I couldn’t get any of the national or local florists to deliver flowers to mum on Mother’s Day; they all gave me much later delivery dates. So, I did what any smart and sensible daughter (self-dabba inserted, haha) would do and setup an Instacart drop-off from our local grocery store with some of her favorite items which, obviously, included flowers as well.

“Yay! The shopper found everything and is delivering the order,” I exclaimed in joy. I dial mum in hurried anticipation. “Where are you, ma? Did you just receive a delivery?”

“Yes, I think so, I placed an order for groceries. How did you know?” comes her surprised reply. She adds “..but dada is confused. So am I. They asked to see his ID. And he’s wondering what he did or what I ordered that requires an ID.” I giggled.

After a slow realization, and rummaging through the bag, she was delighted to find her favorites also comprising of a packaged meat. “Shrimp aa..?” she inquires. My mom is a die-hard fan of two things in life - mutton/keema & shrimp (most seafood). I remember the times when she’d be so engrossed in work that made her, quite frequently, forget mealtimes. The only thing that would get her to dart down the stairs from her office was the smell and sound of me calling out that it was shrimp or mutton for the day.

So, Happy Mother’s Day, ma! We may not be spending it together this year, but our treasured foods bind us once again. The power of food. 

Spicy, fragrant TODDY-SHOP STYLE SHRIMP (in a cast iron pan).

**RECIPE: SPICY TODDY-SHOP STYLE SHRIMP**