Of sweets and memories

Sweet is probably the most important of all tastes.

We compare everything pleasant with sweet – from memories to molar, gestures to occasions, with even the very own concept of life being called “essence”, its omnipresent. That is why Diabetes is probably the cruelest of all diseases. Like foodies who associate every town or place with a delicacy or restaurant, whenever I had a particular sweet for the very first time, I always remembered that place/person. Rather than the dish reminding about them, it was the other way round with, whenever I visited them, I always used to think that they would be giving me the same sweet, with same taste. Needless to say it turned out to be a huge disappointment most of the times, for it often ended as a one-time experience. 

There was this relative of my dad whom we visited once. They were filthy rich even then and had a huge bungalow. Their hall had a tiger skin for carpet and I always used to address them as “puli veedu” relatives. When we had visited them, they had served one sweet, parrot green in color, diamond shaped and had this silver paper covering, which was not banned then. Even now as I type, I could feel that taste and wow. If mesmerizing had a form, it was that sweet. Probably it was a typical milk sweet, having its roots in Bengal but for a first time taste I was so smitten that, I always wanted to go back to their house, just to have some more of that sweet. Incidentally, that was the only ever time we visited them. 

The next in list would be “Kuniram” ice cream. If I remember right, the parlor was in Kodambakkam under the liberty bridge I guess. They used to serve ice creams on bowls like big sized wine glass, with a sturdy stem. God knows what they mixed in that but the moment you take a spoonful of it, the aroma would be so intoxicating that your eyelids will close automatically to savor the moment. I did had two more chances to try that ice cream but never to my heart content. We rarely travelled or visited others and that shop is no more now. I might even have the name wrong for what its worth, but never the taste. Even a simple vanilla or strawberry flavor, when served from that shop, was nothing short of divine.

We had a petty shop, potti kadai literally, right at our house entrance. That shop was my library for the umpteen tamil comics and bala mitras that I read stealthily. Seeing that I have been reading pages standing behind their door, the shopkeeper started stapling the pages. Once in a blue moon, I will manage to convince my parents to actually buy me a book. They had a sweet dish called “Thaen mittai” (honey candy). Not the pink crap that they sell nowadays. This one used to be actually honey-ish in color and taste will start only after you had taken the first bite and when the piece makes it journey at the top of your throat. The essence will trickle all the way through your food pipe to every other biological organ part of digestive system and you can feel the taste oozing all the way. It would be impossible to eat more than 2 for the sweetness will be so over bearing. We were never let even near those cylindrical glass jars with hemispherical lids for these candies were sure shot unhealthy. And will always have a swarm of flies abound them being a side matter. I never actually liked this dish for the hygiene factor, but whenever I did indulge my guilty pleasure, it will make you for want of better words “sokki pogarathu”. Recently during one “Namma Chennai festival” I happened to see a stall with this candy and rushed to that place. First point of dismay was the color, second was the taste. It was a sacrilege to call it by the same name and nothing short of cheating. The original “Thaen mittai” was 5 paise a piece and this being 5 rupees was altogether a different matter.

Writing this post has increased my more than regular level craving for a sweet. Have to get one now.