Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

Childhood, ahh!!! Those were the days. No worries, no worries. I came back from school, threw my bag and went straight to play. Not only me, all my friends used to do the same. When water collects on the road, I feel like jumping into it or sailing a paper boat. When the old man with hair rings the bell, even today my feet move towards the balcony. Or even today if a child blows soapy bubbles around me, I burst them. Along with all these traditional dishes, I miss another dish very much, with which many memories come alive, a small bread sandwich. Spicy potato sandwich, green coriander chutney freshly ground on a stone grinder and hot tea. This used to be brunch almost every second Sunday at our house. At that time, we did not eat sitting on chairs and tables, but a sheet was spread and food was served on it.  Sandwich and tea would be finished in 10 minutes but after that there would be useless licking of the bread crumbs from the plate to make it shine and gossip for two hours.When I put sandwiches in the children’s tiffin, I sometimes remember the sandwiches of our times.

The special vadas (made from ground moong dal with some spices) made at our home on Holi were very delicious. And the taste of sweet pakodas and papdis was just amazing. Even today, when I make these myself, I remember when mother used to make them, all of us children used to sit nearby and eat them hot. And moong dal halwa was so delicious that it is beyond words. When I remember the halwa made by my mother, even today its taste melts in my mouth.

When we used to go on the way from home to school, there used to be a competition to watch Ramu Halwai make hot Jalebi. And we used to keep on saying Round Round and Stop. Then sometimes we used to eat Jalebi from our pocket money. Today, when I eat Jalebi, I start laughing involuntarily. And there is one dish called Mirchi Bada. Which I used to eat with great fondness in my childhood. Thick chillies are made by filling them with potato stuffing and wrapping them in gram flour. I used to eat the gram flour stuffing on the top and my father used to eat the chilli. Even today, when I go to Rajasthan, I definitely eat Mirchi Bada. And I refresh my childhood memories.

Today when I go to buy vegetables, the sight of many vegetables reminds me of my childhood. Our house in the village had gourd, cucumber, brinjal, bitter gourd and many more green vegetables in its backyard. There used to be mango, litchi, banana, guava and pomegranate trees, which we used to buy from the market only sometimes. The taste of the vegetables grown at home was different. Today we eat fruits and vegetables bought from the market. God knows how much insecticides are mixed in them. The diseases occurring in today’s times are happening due to food habits only. Earlier we did not get much to eat, but whatever we got was pure. But where are those days now? They are confined only to memories.