July 19th:
I wake up at 10 but stay in bed till 11, as the cat has decided to fall asleep on my chest. Her breathing and purring keep me still; and I indulge in her sleepiness. My body clock has shifted three hours later into the day this week, which will make the transition into BST easier. I sit on my laptop to do some work. My grandfather had cut a watermelon in the morning, and I ate a bowl full of cubes cut closest to the rind, seeds and all, while sending emails. I drink chai and everyone snacks- handfuls of banana chips, peppery cashews. I’m hungry but it’s that time where it’s too late to eat breakfast and I want my first meal to be lunch because I know what it is.
Kaapa-rice-aloo-boiled egg-comfort food! We had the exact same meal last week. Kaapa is just boiled spinach– blended with green chillies, garlic and salt, then slow-cooked in tempered mustard oil, mustard seeds and onions. I make this for myself when it’s cold or I miss family or I just really really want it. I usually eat it with an egg of choice and a paste of green chilli and salt. I feel good about cooking it when I’m able to retain the deep green of the spinach- but it often fades into a brown-grey-green.
My grandfather preps two kilos of chicken for dinner to feed nine of us, my grandmother excluded as she doesn’t eat meat. For two years or more I hadn’t eaten any meat except fish occasionally, but something in my body has been craving it again especially when it’s cooked in familiar and delicious ways. My grandfather has made this chicken curry for many years now, just eaten with plain rice- or roti. It is spiced but not spicy, and everyone is always scooping for the juices around the meat. Plates are left clean with just bones and cloves lining the edges. We end the meal with a helping of curd- made fresh from boiled milk and a spoonful of the last batch of curd. This activates the cultures within the warm milk, making it the perfect breeding ground for the microorganisms that turn milk into cold-creamy-thick-sourness. Afterwards, leftover chocolate cake from two days ago is divided up; my aunt is a professional baker so this is a big treat we get every few years. Tomorrow she and her family will leave to go back home. A big day for food!
Hi all I’m Ru (she/they), a designer and researcher based in South-East London. I’m part of Em–Dash Press, a small press that produces (amongst other things) a series of zines on our shared love of eggs. I’m also a part of à la carte, a collective that explores the relationship between food and care through a series of workshops. Find my instagram here.