Preeta Chag

 

Have you battled this?

Every time you put ice cream in your mouth, or a spoonful of any dessert in your . mouth, your insides cringe. Ravaged with guilt and resentment at this dilemma to be faced every single time.

Why cannot life be simple?

Why cannot we just sit back and enjoy the simple pleasure of eating.

How come our parents never thought twice about this? Bhajiyas, ganthiyas, seera would all simply go down their throat without batting an eye lid.

And we just die of guilt.

I recognise that we are more weight conscious.

I understand that we lead a sedentary lifestyle.

I accept that we need to be more fit.

But I see people all around me hitting the gym, walking every single day, exercising judiciously (me included). And yet the culinary pleasures remain elusive.

In the olden days, women used to work in the fields…..solid hard physical work. At home they used to churn the chakki for atta (courtesy your weights today), they used to sweep and mop the floor (squats and lunges), and roll rotis and bind the dough (fingers and hand exercise). And after doing all, they would easily devour butter and ghee with ‘khichdi’ and ‘rotla’.  Wow………..what a dream situation.

All this is being done in the gym today. All around you see the young and middle aged sweating it out. Hitting hard at all the machines. Working out  their fat. Toning their muscles. Making serious, strenuous efforts to shed it all.

And after all those hours of serious hard work, as soon as they reach for the delicious, tempting ice cream , their mind and hearts scream…..‘wait….don’t put the ice cream in your mouth.’

Oh for those good old days!!!!!!!!!