The food at our hostel, though very nutritious, is quite bland. We get the same dal-bhaat, peper torkari and machher jhol every day. This frugal fare makes me miss my mother's cooking all that much more. I started dreaming of bhuna and biryani, chicken bharta and kebabs. And I wasn't the only one to think this way. Roshan Ara, my friend from Rajshahi, and Surabhi, who's from Calcutta, were experiencing similar withdrawal symptoms.

The problem was, with our limited means we couldn't eat at fancy restaurants. Some quick calculations revealed that if we did the cooking ourselves, we could manage the cost. We settled on chicken biryani, bhuna and kheer.

We took the mess cook into confidence. Initially reluctant, he finally gave in to our plaintive requests. We set about making our purchases with gusto. Within a few hours, everything was in place and we started cooking. The aroma wafting out of the pots and pans had our mouths watering. After what seemed like an eternity, our food was ready. We gave the cook a cut and polished off the rest. Now, we are waiting for our next culinary adventure.

ANJUM ARA
Visva-Bharati University