My 'Perfect Public Holiday' Nomination

My question to you.........

Which holiday can we honestly celebrate as being our own? A good old 'Kiwi Day?' A day to be proud of - perhaps even celebrate and have some NZ honours........... fly kites of peace, eat food specific to our nation - roast lamb or a BBQ, pavlovas, ANZAC biscuits (and recently Chelsea sugar published a recipe for ANZAC tart), close the shops for good - for the day so no-one misses a day off - and more importantly we celebrate the brotherhood of our unique country and all its cultures.

With so much animosity surrounding Waitangi Day - who wants to celebrate that? Waitangi Day was so long ago - in my opinion I feel we have paid 'some' of our dues perhaps not all - BUT how much more do 'we' keep paying out? And who's fault was it back then? The English for their mis-information? Or the Maoris for signing it and taking the easy option of guns, clothes and tobacco?

Whoever's fault - It is a 'was' or a 'has been'! Long gone........ But resonating into today. It gives many of us whose ancestors arrived on the shores of NZ at the turn of the century and were equally responsible for the shaping of the land, roads and industries - an ill feeling, a feeling of despair and disgruntlement. I sit on the fence and cringe unashamedly. 

My partner is English and I am a Kiwi born Indian of three generations. What are we to think and feel?

War is cruel, war is harsh and war is unforgettable. BUT from every negative arises a positive, as one door closes another door opens, a 'low' is surely followed by a 'high?' And although many were lost at war in both WWI and WWII the goodness that could come from it is that we not only commemorate but celebrate the kinship and camaraderie of the Australian and New Zealand alliance.

Let's face facts - We love to hate the Aussies BUT if and when push comes to shove - there is no doubt in my mind that we would assist them as much as they would run to help us at any given time. We did it back then in both World Wars and we would do it again. Today we stand shoulder to shoulder and have peace keeping operations, and training sessions with each other. They are our best allies and our most loved foes. Any sporting competition eagerly awaits the arrival of the Aussies. We travel between the two countries without the bat of an eyelid. The love hate relationship is merely just that - sibling rivalry!They are our 'Big Bros' - Brothers in Arms really......

What greater day to celebrate and commemorate? I nominate ANZAC Day.
 

My Life of Food - The Evening Meal

For those of you who know me - you will know that cooking is an integral part of my life.

I am Food! Food is me - wherever there is food - not too far away will you find ME!!

I eat food, I cherish food, I cook food, I love food and I have a deep respect for foods of the world!! Food is the life source that gives us our energy - it is also a necessity - it is our fuel.

To me 'Food' is a measuring stick for 'how much a mother loves her children,' or 'how much you love the man in your life'..... it is the gift you give someone sick in hospital, or the gift you give to friends who are having a BBQ, it may be the gift of a surprise birthday cake or as my son's girlfriend made for me - cupcakes - little morsels of heaven, asking to be eaten - the gift of belonging!

Food is designed to give pleasure to our senses and fill the empty bellies after a hard day's work.

Cooking is my passion and often we have all our five children (plus partners) over for 'The Evening Meal.'

No matter how tired I feel - there is always enough energy mustered up to 'cook up a feed' so as to feed the family. It's important to me, as when they all come into the kitchen - I hear their 'Ohhs and Aaahs' and remarks of 'What's Vee cooked tonight?' They all wander through - one by one, noses on alert, guessing and checking through the glass oven door - to see what give-away there may be upon the kitchen bench, looking anxiously at the vegetables or the meats being used, to confirm their guesses.

As the meal is cooking they congregate around the breakfast bar - laughing, cracking 'bad' jokes, and telling tales of the days on-goings keeping me amused with their hilarity as I finish off the last touches. Offers to get the plates out, offers to stir the gravy, whip the cream, get the 'Yorshires' out of the oven or setting the table are never short.

Then I give them the nod! 'Dinner's Out - come get it!' We don't have buffet style very often - usually I serve it up in proportions equivalent to their appetites and age. Dad gets first dibs, then the lads..... each is always completely satisfied and normally there isn't a lot left, after we've all had a go. 

Then we share dessert and lastly a brew of Indian Chai - and not the crap sold in cafes - but the real stuff with my own real chai masala as mum taught me to make. 

Everyone is thankful and one by one as they leave home to go off into the evening each thanks me personally for the meal.

So why is the Evening Meal so important?

Firstly I believe in the importance of food, Secondly - the importance of family. Good hearty food plus children equals 'Happy Family.' The children have come from different walks of life, their journeys are different, their days are different. They have different stories to share and different small talk to make. With the help of food they release whatever pressures they've felt through the day and share their stories with each other, as they eat together.

Not only have I been blessed to cook Indian (curry) meals - I am also very honoured to have been given skills for cooking almost any other meal. Last year I went to England to meet my Paul's family. His older brother Colin taught me the correct way to cook 'Yorkies' with the secret recipe of which I have managed to cook and have scored the perfect ten!! I have learned to cook various pasta dishes and I think my risotto is to die for.......

Call me old-fashioned but my mum instilled a strong bond of 'food for love' in me and my cooking. For this gift - I am forever indebted to her. The gift of cooking.

Sooooooo.... HERE AM I!! My VERY First BLOG

Well here I am sitting at school - supposedly marking work, BUT if I look at what I'm REALLY doing - it's NOT marking!!

I've just taken the ultimate step and created a blog for myself!! 

WHY? - you may well ask. What have you got to offer........

 I got the idea off the movie 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' where Judi Dench's character Evelyn writes a blog every day about her experiences, thoughts and feelings. 

I had an epiphany - and decided that since ONE DAY I am actually going to write a book about my own existence as a New Zealand Indian (of three generations) this was the perfect way to document what happens in my life on a day to day basis - this would be the 'note form' of my book.

......and as for what have I got to offer?

I am a teacher - an ESOL teacher in a secondary school in Auckland: have been a teacher for rather a long time now........ So I think I have A LOT to offer: advice, wisdom, life's lessons, daily teachings, sharing of thoughts AND more importantly the 'Meeting of Minds!' As one great lecturer said to me: 'The knowledge we share is a Meeting of the Minds - and greatness happens from this!'

This is a picture of me:

On that very philosophical note I shall now sign off!!
Only hope it works out - Better actually do some work now!! 

:-)