Respect
A village in Gujarat, India.
It was evening as we walked past this humble village home. The mother-in-law sits outside to enjoy the cool air. Her daughter-in-law stands in the doorway; her veil covers her face. This is a sign of respect. The younger woman will always cover her face when her mother-in-law is present. She will rise to offer her seat to her husband’s mother, to her husband, to his friends, in fact to everyone except a child. She will not speak to her husband in the presence of his mother, nor will he speak to her. She will continue this way until her mother-in-law dies and she becomes the woman of the house.
Another reason she stands in the door is to keep an eye on dinner. Most likely it will be lentils (the Indians call them dahl) and chappaties, a kind of unleavened bread. It looks like a flour tortilla, but has a different flavor. Maybe due to the type of oil used in the dough.
The rolling pin is about a foot long and about 1 inch in diameter. The ‘countertop’ is either the floor or a small plate sized table on three (2 inch high) feet. The women squat as they cook. Even the old ones. Rather than feel sorry for them, we should envy them as even aged men and women can rise from their haunches with no difficulty.
I may not blog this weekend. My middle daughter is coming to visit me. We will go shopping for her belated Christmas present and we will go to Sweet Lady Jane’s (in Los Angeles) for lunch.
Sweet Lady Jane’s is a bakery and small restaurant, like an European conditorei. Delicious food and the pastries that rival Vienna’s, in my opinion. You should go if you are in the neighborhood. I always try to go when I am in L.A.
I’ll be back on Monday. I hope you have something enjoyable to do this weekend, perhaps a good book, or a special meal, or just sitting in the sun and enjoying a relaxing cup of tea. Let’s savor all these moments, shall we?
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