Taranjit
Indians tend to do this a lot. We buy food from the store and instead of throwing the container away after it is empty, we keep it. You never know when it might come in handy. You paid for this item. Why throw it out, when you can reuse it? Its less containers you will have to buy. We are always looking for ways to save money. Can’t help it. It’s in our genes.
An item may appear to be one thing on the outside, but it contains something completely different on the inside. Let me give you some examples.
Danish Butter Cookie container
You get all excited when you see that Danish Butter Cookie container sitting on the counter. All of a sudden, your body is craving those cookies. You decide, ah what the heck, I will have just one. You walk over and slowly open that lid. Those lids can be difficult at times. After struggling for a while, you manage to pry the lid off. As you are pulling it open, that smile from your face falls because what’s inside? Atta, whole wheat flour. No cookies, but whole wheat flour. What a disappointment.
Yogurt container
You’re hungry. So, you head on over to the fridge and pull open the door. You spot a container of yogurt sitting on the top shelf. Awesome! Mom got some yogurt. Don’t mind if I do, you think to yourself already reaching for that container. Pulling it out, you set it on the counter, and you grab a bowl and spoon and set it down beside the yogurt. You pull open the lid, and again expression change from what you see. There is no yogurt in this container, but instead you see dal, lentils, or sabzi, Indian vegetable dish, left over from the night before. Another disappointment.
Oven
Containers around the house are not the only things in disguise, but another place in the household that contains unexpected items is the oven. You found this new recipe online and are very excited to try it out. You get all the ingredients together and mix them as described. The batter is ready, the cookie sheet is lined, and small balls of cookie dough are placed evenly on the sheet. You pull open that oven door, ready to bake some cookies, but find lots of stuff in the oven. Pots, pans, what have you.
If you ever want to bake something in an Indian house, make sure you double check that oven for items. It is often used as another place of storage more than actually being used for baking. Do not think you can just set the oven to preheat without checking inside. Trust me, I have missed an item on several occasions, and after a few minutes, a burning smell brushes your nose. It is not pleasant. Good thing, nothing happened to the pan that was left in there by mistake.
Conclusion
Us, Indians, we like to reuse things. So, if you ever come over, expect to find something else in the containers than what it reads on the outside. Never expect it to be what it actually says on the outside. Just like you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, don’t judge the food inside by the label on the outside.
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