Pepper Chicken

The pressure cooker let out second whistle & veggies spurted on a frying pan. Kanika checked the clock on the wall. She did not want to be late on her first day on a new project. She finished cooking & swiftly packed lunch. No sooner did she think about the maid than the doorbell rang. She opened the door with a smile; both women exchanged morning pleasantries. The maid got busy with household chores. At the same time, Kanika ate breakfast & hastened to dress up for work. Half an hour later, Kanika deftly moved her two-wheeler through the heavy weekday traffic. Once she was on KR Puram flyover, she sighed. She thanked her stars for having a reliable maid; life was a little easier. She had realised early on that a maid is a luxury. Which her family & friends settled abroad could not afford.

Like any other project, first couple of months were on fire. Juggling cooking, home, work & commuting to another end of the city was a daily challenge. On the days when her maid did not turn up, her day was complete chaos. Otherwise, she sailed through the days. Later, the project was on track & the workload was manageable except for evening meetings with clients on a couple of days of the week. She could leave in the early evening. She was back home on time, with sufficient time in hand to cook & have a peaceful dinner.

Kanika's teammate, Saurabhi, was an expecting mother & craved South Indian homemade food. One of the days, Kanika cooked Pongal for her. Since Kanika's teammates ate late lunch, she gave the lunch box to Saurabhi & said, "Hope you like it." She, along with other friends, left for the cafeteria. Late in the afternoon, her teammate Raghav came to her desk & said, "Cooking does not mean boiling rice & adding a pinch of salt to it." Kanika shook her head & asked, "Huh?! Did not get you?" Saurabhi rushed & said, "Except Ajoy, you & me; all our teammates are from the southeast state known for spicy food. They do not like food that regulars like us eat. Ignore him. I liked Pongal, thank you." The ladies smiled at each other. Raghav walked away with a grumpy face. The following week, Kanika got Bisi Bele Bath for Saurabhi. She ensured not to share it with rest of the team. She relished it & thanked Kanika again.

A few weeks later, a client meeting was scheduled late in the evening. Since the team was staying late, they went to cafeteria for an evening snack. While sipping hot tea, Kanika said, "I hope the meeting ends on time. I have to go home & cook dinner." Sumesh commented, "You are anyways going to cook something insipid. What's the hurry?" Saurabhi dived in, "Oh! In the name of food, you people eat chilies. So don't comment about her cooking." Kanika added, "Yeah, right! Last night's chicken is left over. I don't want to eat it; I had planned to cook paneer tonight." Sumesh was curious & asked, "How come you cooked chicken?" Kanika replied, "The days I get to leave early, I utilise such time for leisure cooking." Sumesh asked, "Why don't you get the leftover for us?" Kanika smiled & replied, "Sure thing, next week."

The following week, Kanika cooked chicken & took leftover chicken for her teammates. Ajoy savoured & said, "It was good." Kanika's "Thank you" was interrupted by Sumesh. He said, "What chicken is this? No spice or salt. A newborn child in our native eats more spice than this." A week later, Kanika cooked pepper chicken. While packing leftovers, she added two tablespoons of pepper & a tablespoon of salt. She thought this should suffice. At noon, she gave the lunch box to her teammates. Sumesh came back with an empty lunch box & asked, "Do you have a shortage of spices in your kitchen?" Kanika exclaimed, "What? I had added extra pepper & salt!" He responded, "Is it? Did not taste a thing."

A couple of weeks passed. Ajoy came up to Kanika's desk & asked, "You haven't got chicken for us. What happened?" Kanika leaned back on her ergonomic chair, took a deep breath & remarked, "Ajoy, what is the point of getting chicken for these guys? They are going to eat & complain that spice is less, no salt or something else. So instead, I gave it to the maid; she was content. She performed chores more diligently."

Take away: Luxurious essential is an oxymoron; that describes a maid best. A reliable & happy maid is the key to work-life balance.