Talking Turkey

At this point, one may genuinely ask, “Why doesn’t Bhaskar make something else if he detests it so much?” Here’s the rub. My partner, June, wants to do a traditional Christmas dinner and it would ruin that dinner if I included shami kabab and roomali roti. We usually buy a turkey weighing about 10 kg. We probably finish half of it on Christmas day. Like a good Indian boy, I hate wasting food. And this is where Doctor Bhaskar comes in.

When the guests have left, I get to do some serious doctoring. I add wonderful ingredients that mask the awful flavour of this bird. I make an Indian sauce out of dhania, jeera, haldi, hari mirch, kali mirch, lal mirch, dalchini, elaichi, laung, saunf, adrak, lassan, pyaas, and so on. The addition of these things and some cooking turns the roast turkey into a keema. And then, when I scoop up gobs of this heavenly hash with bits of roti, a slow satisfied smile illuminates my face.

Recently, a friend of mine, Anil, made his first visit to America. Without ever having eaten turkey, he extolled the virtues of this creature. I promptly set him straight about my views. He smiled the smile of a man who was obviously totally unconvinced, but did not want to appear so. The most satisfying moment came from his wife, Anjana, who said that things don’t quite taste right until we add the perfect masala to it. My reward was not in her words. It was in her smile. This smile came from the depths of her soul. She knew just what I was talking about. For a brief moment, we had bonded.

This story has an epilogue. The truth is that Anjana had never tasted turkey and never will. She is a vegetarian, but She had supreme knowledge.