Parotta and Beef Fry
Nileena Sunil
Volume 3 | Issue 11 [March 2024]
‘How far is he?’ Rahul asked. Arun looked at his phone. ‘He’ll be there in five minutes. I’m so hungry.’ ‘Me too.’ Arun felt his mouth water as he thought about the parotta and beef fry they had ordered. He couldn’t wait to dig in. He looked at his phone again. The food delivery app was open, and it seemed like the delivery person was getting delayed. ‘I can’t wait to try it,’ Rahul said. ‘You won’t regret it,’ Arun said. ‘It’s really tasty.’
‘I can only imagine what my parents would think if they came to know.’ Rahul said, with a sardonic smile. ‘They’ll probably disown me.’ Arun laughed. It would be Rahul’s first-time eating beef, and he seemed to be eagerly anticipating it, mostly because it would be a gigantic middle finger to his parents’ values. Arun regarded the situation with amusement. Eating beef wasn’t anything unusual for him, however Rahul acted like he was about to embark on a sinful, but exciting venture. ‘Oh look. He’s almost here,’ Arun said, looking at the food delivery app.
Artwork – Vaishnavi Ramesh, 2024
It had been a year and a half since Arun became friends with Rahul. The two of them worked at the same office, and since they lived not too far from each other, they would often go back home together. On the way back, they would often stop to grab a bite at a parantha place near the office. It was Rahul’s favourite restaurant, and Arun had to admit that the paranthas were delicious. One day, as they were dining there, Rahul made a suggestion.
‘This place is great, but next time, let’s go somewhere else for a change. I’ve heard there is a great dosa place close by.’
Arun frowned. ‘I’m not a big dosa fan.’
‘Oh? I thought you would be. Since you are South Indian and all. What is your favourite food then?’
‘I really like parotta and beef fry.’
Arun was taken aback by his own words. He wondered why he had said that. Rahul and him were colleagues and maybe casual friends. But he knew next to nothing about the other man’s beliefs or political views. While beef was not taboo in his native Kerala, the same could not be said for much of the rest of the country. What if Rahul took great offense? He looked at his colleague, who had a puzzled expression on his face. ‘You’re Hindu, right?’
‘Yes.’ He paused for a moment and said, ‘Beef is widely consumed in Kerala, where I am from. It is not uncommon for Hindus there to eat it.’
‘Oh. Right.’
They did not discuss that subject anymore. However, over time Rahul became the closest friend Arun had in the city. Rahul confided in him about his family, about how he felt that he did not fit in with them because he was an atheist while their lives revolved around religion. How a lot of their views bothered him, like their open disdain for people from other religions. ‘They are so regressive,’ he would say. ‘I can’t take it anymore.’ Arun didn’t know what to say to that. He would just nod and change the subject.
Artwork – Vaishnavi Ramesh, 2024
Meals of parotta and beef fry became a staple in Arun’s household only when he hit his teens. Before that, it was something they ate during infrequent visits to restaurants. Things changed when his mother got a big promotion at work.
Arun had always been used to seeing his mother work hard every day, and return home to rush into the kitchen and cook. She worked long hours, however those only increased once she got the promotion. Seeing his mother tired from work struggling to catch a breath before going into the kitchen bothered Arun greatly–he wondered why his father, who had much shorter working hours never helped her. Whenever he tried to help her himself, she would admonish him to study. One day, when she looked particularly exhausted, Arun said out loud, ‘Let’s order something today. There’s this place called Star Restaurant. My friend Paul told me about it. It has excellent parotta and beef. I’ll ask him for their number, we’ll order from there.’ His mother began to protest, however his father chimed in. ‘That sounds good. It’s been so long since we had parotta and beef!’
The food turned out to be delightful. The beef was tender and juicy, with the spices blending to form a perfect level of heat. The pieces of coconut mixed with the beef greatly added to the taste, as Arun and his parents ate it with the soft layers of the parotta. ‘This is so tasty,’ his father said, licking his lips. He had never been so enthusiastic about his wife’s cooking. Yet, she did not seem to mind relieved for the day’s reprieve from cooking. Ever since then, whenever he saw that his mother was particularly exhausted, he would suggest they order parotta and beef from Star Restaurant. His father was usually quick to second him; he seemed to have fallen in love with their parotta and beef fry. The two of them would never say it out loud, however they knew it was tastier than anything Arun’s mother ever cooked.
When he moved to North India for work, Arun often missed food from back home. He missed his mother’s cooking – her avials and thorans, her fish fries and chicken curries…..and he also missed Star Restaurant’s parotta and beef fry. He wasn’t sure which he missed the most, till he gave Rahul that answer. He had said the first thing that came to his mind. And he immediately knew it was true.
‘I am finally going to do this.’ Rahul said, opening the lid of the container which held the beef fry. ‘Finally.’ He unwrapped the foil containing the parottas with a theatrical flourish. ‘I am going to commit the ultimate transgression, the cardinal sin.’ Arun rolled his eyes at his friend’s overly dramatic antics. For one, the meat was probably that of a buffalo. Rahul tore a piece of the parotta, and used it to envelope a chunk of meat. ‘Here it goes,’ Rahul said and took a bite. Arun watched his friend in anticipation as he began to chew.
‘What do you think?’ Arun asked.
‘Well….it tastes alright.’
‘Alright?’
‘Yes.’ Rahul said. ‘It tastes…..fine. Not too bad. Ooh, I finally did it!’
Arun looked at him blankly for a moment, and then took a piece for himself, trying hard not to let the crushing sense of disappointment show on his face. He spoke very little for the rest of the evening as they ate parotta and beef fry.
Artwork – Vaishnavi Ramesh, 2024
