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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Calamity-Maker (Read Chapathi-maker)..!

Recently I went to a nearby store and found a chapathi-maker there. I was told by the sales guy that it made chapathi-making very easy. This almost lured me into buying it, taking into account innumerable days I sweat, groan, nag and sulk at the kitchen,laboring hard to accomplish the above mentioned activity. As most husbands usually are, mine is also selectively deaf at apparel stores and other ladies stores. I had to shake him vigorously to bring him to his senses when the sales guy delivered a totally overwhelming speech about the advantages of a chapathi maker.By the end of the speech, I was almost convinced into buying it. Smart as I always were, I got him pay the bill with an attached, personalized warning: ‘ medikkunnathokke kollam, Use cheythillengil nokkikko’. I was excited, conveniently ignoring the above comment.

We got back home, and the urge to ‘use’ the chapathi-maker was tempting. It had two heavy circular plates, connected to each other, and a lever on which we were to ‘lightly press’ so that the chapathi becomes thin and round. The dough was made with great hurry, and we waited till it got all ‘set. Meanwhile we watched idea star singer and indulged in creative activities like imitating the anchor and her Oxford style of teaching Manglish to Mallus all over the world.

I now step gingerly into the kitchen looking forward to make hot, soft, delicious chapathis using the chapathi maker.

Dough 1: I take the dough, which is quite the size of a table tennis ball, apply some flour on it, press lightly with my hands, keep it inside the chapathi maker , topped with lots of expectations. I press with the maximum pressure I could possibly apply. With beaming eyes, I open it, and saw that it had grown to the size of a puri, and is stuck at the top circular plate of the maker. I tried to detach it with all my strength. Exhausted and worn out, I started breathing heavily, and this invited him to step in hurriedly into the kitchen. He tried to hide the amusement the scene had brought to his lips, pulled it out as if he was doing some Herculian task and it emerged into the weirdest shape ( close to the shape of Sri Lanka as we see it on the map). I am totally embarrassed. I roll it up again to its original shape as if nothing happened and gave an ‘its-all-in-the-game’ look. He gave me a I-tol-you-na-that-it-wont-work stare and a sarcastic what-a-beautiful-shape-for-a-chapathi look and left immediately with a have-a-nice-time-with-your-chapathi-maker smile.

He left muttering words and I could almost make out ‘avalude oru chapathi maker’.

Dough 2: Now that was a call to prove myself.
The second dough is taken with utmost care, placed inside, and pressed after uttering The Lord’s prayer. This time, more flour, and the pressing becomes scrupulous that both my legs are in the air now, a few centimeters abover sea level err..i mean the floor .I open the chapathi maker again with a hell lot of expectations. This time, the chapathi is thin and rounded (thanks to each and every gram of my weight). I jump with joy and try to pull it out. The chapathi gives way to two big holes for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

I solemnly placed the chapathi maker in the sink, and made yummy, reasonably shaped chapathis in the next half an hour, in the traditional way.

Thanks to chapathi maker for sending down the drain 500 bucks (which I could have judiciously spent at fabindia), for wasting 30 minutes of a working-day evening, water ,soap, and giving me a joint pain bad enough that I had to use ‘moov’ continuously for 10 days after that. The chapathi maker which made my life easy, now rests at the farthest possible corner of the kitchen cupboard and is available to all readers on an auction. If you are interested, you can mail me directly at my email id .

The item on auction can be disintegrated, and creatively used as
 Paper weight
 Stand to keep oil and other jars
 Hot vessel plate
 Cutting board
 Modern wall hanging

p.s:-If you happen to buy this item and use it for purposes other than those mentioned above, please let me know.

Thanks!

11 comments:

  1. ROFL ! This reminds me of a similar incident which happened a few years ago - An ever so enthusiastic me trying to experiment my skills to make "instant hot fluffy chappatis" using the chappati maker ! And to my utter disappointment, whatever I was able to press came out like pappadams! And neither amma nor me has touched it since then!

    Well, this made me think - Should ask Amma where she has stacked away our chappati maker !! :))

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  2. This doesn't remind me anything, because I didn't try anything in kitchen. Anyway this is very nice to read, she described it very interestingly... Anita keep it up....do post more..... Ennalalle ninte mandathrangal ellrum ariyooo........ Buhahaha........

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  3. nice and funny Anita....ur writing style is becoming humourous day by day..BY the way was it the normal chappathy presser?or maker(the electric one?The electric one is nice na...it flattens, cooks and becomes a ball...so u dont need to do anything......i hear thats nice...

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  4. Hey.. nice writing.. in fact excellent.. I am happy to note that its getting better day by day.. and by the way, I make chapathis every night using the electric one.. and it comes out perfect.. soft, thin n tasty..and personally I think its one the best work-reducing things in the kitchen..at least in my kitchen! And its one of those things where trail and error method is most effective. It takes quite a few trials to make good chapathis with it.. so, pls dont give up, try again..nce u get to knw the consistency which is diff from the conventional method, u will soon be making fluffy chapathis..but even if u dont try making chapathis with it again, pls dont give up writing your kitchen blunders!! Love to read them! :D Way to go girl.. Love ya..!

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  5. anita.....super ketto de......abuvine ipole kazhikkan enthelum kitarundo......

    While reading this,i am thinking about my first chapathi perparation.....all my family members chirikuvayirunnu

    About ur writing too gud dear..even we feel gud .......we all ur frds are here to read ur blog..continue the same

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  6. @ Anjana chechi : Thanks chechi... i knew that many of us could relate to this chapathi maker very easily!
    @Priya: Thanks a ton for reading and for ur comments... the chapathi maker in subject is the non electric one :)
    @ ANju chechi : Mwah!
    @ Anju : Thanks dee..thanks a ton for reading..!
    @Cris: Danks dee!!

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  7. Lol that was very hilarious!! And thanks for clearing any doubt/impression I had of chapati maker. Thought of buying one long back but luckily didnt as it was not available at our place! Love the look of the few dollars still in the wallet..hehe!

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  8. hehe dankooo Pooj!! the one i've written about is the non electric chapathi maker.... get 2 know more abt the electric one through anju chechi...she finds it useful.. :) thanks for the support pooj! love u!

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  9. This narration is right out of my kitchen, I guess :( Have this stuff in the, as u said, farthest, darkest corner of my kitchen now. :) Nice write-up.. !

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