Stirring the Pots

I spent four hours this morning from six am stirring huge pots of curries, chicken, beef, mutton, salted fish, prawns and cuttle fish. It was good to be able to sweat it out that early in the morning but i am beginning to feel my age after awhile. My cousin pays me about fifty RM for the morning's work which helps but not near as enough to stay afloat with my daughter going to the University...such is.
I enjoy doing this for different reasons too other than the fact that it pays and makes you sweat, I take it as a form of serious meditation practice. As I stir the sizzling hot oil with onions and assorted amount of spices such as coriender, anise, nutmeg, ginger garlic, pandan leaves, curry leaves and a host of other stuff that makes a dalca or a 'red chicken curry' or a 'kurma daging' or an ' acar', I would imagine my practice in life to be the same process. I am stirring all my thoughts and my perceptions, my experiences and my beliefs all in one pot and at the end of the day I hope to come out with a well balanced, wholesome and presentable dish of a lifestyle that others can benifit from. While i am stirring the pots my mind is focused on what I was doing as it would be dangerous not to as every stray thought can cause you pain. I have come to notice that everytime my mind drift off into some thoughts that is not related to what i was doing I would be rudely awakened by a splash of hot oil or boiling curry from the pot. I also enjoy the colors that goes into the making of the different type of curries and the textures to go with. The boiling curry sometimes reminded me of hot larva in the caulderon of the volcano and every so often I even felt the presecence of hellfire that would put my soul to an uneasy calm. Then there is the aroma of the different ingredients thrown into the pot all being brought out by the hot boiling oil, it makes all your senses comes to life. The smell of Pandan leaves, lemon grass roots, mashed ginger mixed with garlic, safron, powdered red chilly pepper, tumeric, cumin, annise an the assorted spices from the Alagappa's flour mill! It is said that when you cannot smell the smoke from a snuffed out candle it is one of an indication that death is upon you.
The head chef, the lady in charge of it all, Ana my cousin's wife is a tough act to follow when it comes to cooking for three or four thousand people. This whole catering business would be impossible without her relentless energy and power to organize and religate and deligate people. She has a well focused mind that is almost supernatural when it comes recalling what goes in where and how much especially when there are like six pots of different curries are cooking all at the same time. I only have full admiration and respect for this lady who comes from Balik Pulau and has the humble yet firm and strong character in dealing with others. She is well respected by one and all from her suppliers to her foreign workers who maeks up of Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Vietnamese. Some call her Ma'Cik, some call her Auntie, some call her Kak and some call her Ana, but by whatever name they call her you can sense that there is great respect if not fear when they address her. To me she is an artist by her own right and a damn good one at that for she has mastered her craft like none others and has a thorough understanding of human nature when it comes to dealing with people. In all her humility she would deny this when she is told so, but underneath that small frame or hers lies the iron lady.