Is the salt okay? The chef needs to know – please do tell them so that they can be in peace!

Amma would ask me something while I was eating. Sometimes after I finished. And sometimes she would herself bring up feedback about the meal. I was absent minded in my replies most of the time. But it mattered to her, what I said.

Is the salt okay? Yes Ma, it is fine. Actually the bhindi was a bit over ripe, Amma would counter. I had to cook it a bit more and add extra oil. She is looking for feedback. Was the food okay. Yes Ma, everything is really nice.

It is a blessing to sit in front of food. An experience like no other. Ask someone who is starving. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude every time Amma put food on the table. And a feeling of how much she put into cooking, how hard it is to keep the food factory going, day after day, week after week month after month.

And how, while she cribbed a lot, she made magic, every single time.

Is the salt okay? Please let the person who is cooking know – yes it is fine. The food is great. Even if it is not. Don’t complain. Things can be corrected. Later. For now, the food on table, is good. Too good.

A blessing, a present, a gift wrapped in the chef’s best intention, labour and love. Let the chef have your gratitude – give them your thanks – and those words that make all the difference.

Thank you – the food was great!