The last meal

September 22, 2010

It’s no secret that I am a foodie.

I enjoy the aromas, the texture, the combinations, the colors, the tastes, the variety of ingredients.

I am amazed by how cultures interpret different food items and how each section of society has a different way of cooking the same veggies. I don’t live to eat, but food is certainly top of my mind on most days (either because I’m planning what to cook when I get home or I’m planning where to eat out).

So, when watching a movie the other night a convict was asked “What would you like your last meal to be?” it triggered a thought process that has finally come to a conclusion.

My first impulse was to say: Indian Chinese! I love that stuff.

For those of you going, “huh?” it’s the way we Indians make Chinese food. Wikipedia does a good job of explaining the origins and what goes into making Indian Chinese lip-smackingly delicious.

But then I thought some more…I dig chaat.

Perhaps, that’s what I would like to savor the taste of before dying. Crispy, spicy, flaky. Cool yogurt, coriander bits, green chilli, lemon. Potatoes, tomatoes, onions and sprouts. Singing the perfect song in my mouth. Making my heart dance in joy.

And what would I not give to devour Cold Stone Creamery’s “Like It”-sized Chocolate Devotion with marshmallows mixed in? For that to be the last thing to tantalize my tastebuds … oh sweet deliciousness.

A lot of other fleeting thoughts later — which included Malaysian roti prata, pad thai, lettuce wraps, chholle bhature, and garlic bread with minestrone soup — I settled on the one thing that I couldn’t die without eating.

The only thing that would make me feel completely satiated: my mom’s matar parathas.

She makes the best ones ever.

I tried to learn making them so the two-three year deprivation period between visits could be nullified … but as much as I followed
matar paratha1 The last mealthe recipe to a T, they didn’t taste the same.

I don’t know what it’s about ‘em — maybe it’s a mother’s love, her magic touch — but you can’t stop eating them even when you’re full.

I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to decide my last meal — but who knows?

So, hypothetically speaking, if you could pick the last thing to eat before you died, what would you choose?

16081BD1A60533E0F1173D28DE4F0D3F The last meal

dp seal trans 16x16 The last mealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mansi Bhatia

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9 Responses to The last meal

  1. Shachi ThakkarNo Gravatar on September 22, 2010 at 3:47 pm

    Anything my mom would cook….no doubt about it :)

  2. dhakkanzNo Gravatar on September 22, 2010 at 11:11 pm

    I would like to have Ladyfinger and ghee ke parantha, cooked by my mom, as my last meal. Heheh, nice concept by the way! ;)

  3. Thelma ZirkelbachNo Gravatar on September 23, 2010 at 9:53 am

    My first thought was coffee ice cream, then I thought, chocolate ice cream. Normally I don’t eat chocolate because it gives me migraine, but if it’s my last meal, I don’t have to worry about that.

  4. Maggie CaldwellNo Gravatar on October 5, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    This came up last spring. I was heading to St. Louis from my home in CA for a quick trip to see my parents. My brother, a dedicated foodie, is always interested in filling me on on what a great food town STL has become since I left. He told me I had to go to a certain restaurant for their lamb sausage – that it was so good it would be his Last Supper.

    I did go, ate it and got food poisoning so badly I thought it might be my last supper!

    I like your blog – I found you from She Writes.
    Cheers,
    Maggie
    http://lifeinaskillet.com

    • Mansi BhatiaNo Gravatar on October 5, 2010 at 3:27 pm

      Oh gosh! What a story! And what a twist to my interpretation of the last meal — I suppose the moral of the story is to eat (and choose) well, because you never know what’s going to be your last meal. I’m sure you’re never going back to that restaurant! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words about my blog, Maggie. Appreciate having you here.

  5. LeslieNo Gravatar on December 15, 2010 at 6:40 am

    The last thing I would eat would be a Belgian Waffle with real strawberries, real cream and butter with a touch of maple syrup!!

    Stopping by from LBS today. This is so fun!!

    • MansiNo Gravatar on December 16, 2010 at 1:56 pm

      Loved the pics on your blog. Thanks for stopping by, Leslie. All the other posts made me quite hungry as well.

  6. CinnamonNo Gravatar on December 15, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    I can’t even say half of the things you mentioned…but they all sound delicious. And you’re right, nothing that I make from my mom’s recipes tastes as good as when she did it. I’ll bet it’s because they may have taught us what we know…but they didn’t teach all that THEY know…lol

    Stopping by from the LBS.

    Cinn

    • MansiNo Gravatar on December 16, 2010 at 1:53 pm

      They are delicious — that’s what moms do — make fatty, yummy things!
      I love what you had to say about your last meal, too, Cinnamon —

      the meal would be the BEST last meal because of the company I would invite.

      Touching!
      And I can’t believe you’ve eaten rattlesnake. Really??

      Thanks, again, for stopping by and for your writeup.



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