The extreme of not wasting food

If you've eaten with me in the HP Cafeteria or the CSI CE Hostel Mess (or pretty much any other place on earth) you might have noticed that I literally clean out the plate. I myself didn't realise this till some friends started pulling my leg saying that the plate didn't need to be washed because I had cleaned it up. Being the thoughtful, introspective person that I am, I reflected on why I do this. Amongst memories of my childhood friend, Paul Deepak, getting irritated with me for slurping up every last drop of a bottle drink, I discovered a possible cause - my parents encouraged (read: lovingly forced) me to not waste food from a very young age. Dad's most famous dialogue at the table was "Whether you like it or not, you must eat everything" and if we kids ever dreamt of waiting till Dad left the table and then tried sneaking off some veggies to the garbage bin, our Mum had ever-present statements of the pitiable plight of the millions who go without food in India (and the world) every day. It was pretty difficult as a kid growing up with such immense pressure at the dining table. From where I stand today, though, I'm thankful for all the pressure that was present back then - I have learnt to eat almost everything (I can't stand even the smell of watermelons, cucumbers, the taste of bitter gourd and other minute things like that!) and I actually don't waste food. There are times when I overeat many times over to ensure that food doesn't go to waste. I'm so thankful to both my parents for imparting this small but awesome truth into my life. Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad.

Bring home the tasty pastry

This was another well-loved staple in our house. Whenever Dad went shopping (with Mum or alone), he would come back with some tasty treats for the "kids". This would range from some of the costliest, mouth-watering chocolate truffles to the simple yet satisfying sweet-things such as those delectable "choco balls" sold by FoodWorld. There would generally be two of everything, with a few extra ones here and there (Mum and Dad also needed to eat something, right?!). For me personally, it was always very exciting to dive into the shopping bags brought home to find the one that contained the "immediately eatable" baked goods and partition it for everyone and start eating it right away. My love for those choco/rum balls, the croissants, those incredibly rich "Japanese" cakes - all started right there in those shopping bags. Whatever one can say about my Dad, this is an undeniable fact - he knows what his kids like, and he brings that home. Thanks, Dad.