Hot, Green and Rocking !

My friend Vandana Koranne of Toronto,  who runs the Indian Family Garden page on Facebook,  and Instagram , recently posted a photo of a selection of hot peppers and not so hot peppers (capsicum mirchis ) , from her own garden,  and asked folks  to suggest pickle recipes.

While images of stuffed fried hot mirchi bhajjias  , folks eating these raw as a salad etc,  immediately floated by ,  one had to think of the elderly capsicums.  And I listened ....

And guess what, they were speaking in Marathi .  And then by and by , in English. 

(To see some great pictures of her garden produce, check out https://www.facebook.com/Indian-Family-Garden-543853252440986/photos )

         (photo by Vandana Koranne)

दोन वय न दाखवणार्या आजी मिरच्या, आणि आजूबाजूला घोळक्यात विवध "फेर आणि लव्हली" आणि "डार्क आणि ब्युटीफुल" ललना . आणि मग .. "आमच्या आयुष्यात केवळ बटाटे आणि फार फार तर बेसन आले ; कधीतरी उरलेला भात , आणि आम्ही कायम असेच राहिलो , गोल, पण फोफश्या.... मुलींनो , आपापसातले फरक विसरा , आणि स्वतःचे बारीक तुकडे करून , मेथीच्या पुडीचे आणि मिठाचे फेशल करा. मोहरीची डाळ येताच , लिंबाच्या रसात तिचे स्वागत करा , आणि फिरवून फिरवून तिला अगदी चढवून ठेवा , आणि त्यात स्वतःला झोकून द्या . मग लेटेस्ट फॅशन म्हणून गरम तेलाच्या हिंग-मोहरी फोडणीचा स्प्रे स्वतःवर मारा आणि मग दही भात चाहत्यांची रांग बघून धन्य व्हा..." असे म्हणत , ढब्बू मिरच्या उर्वरित आयुष्य पिझ्झारावांबरोबर घालवायला रवाना झाल्या .

Two amazingly young looking grandma capsicum peppers, and a bevy of slender, with it, fair and lovely and dark and beautiful hot chilly peppers. The older lament. "A life of potatoes, besan and leftover rice, we remain unchanged, rotund and hollow. But girls, forget your differences , and come together, as you enjoy salt and fenugreek facials, and welcome cracked mustard yellow chaps by immersing them in lemon juice and getting them high. Join them as you spray yourself with the latest mustard asafoetida perfume and then watch the Dahi Bhat admirers line up !" Having said this, the portly capsicums depart. To spend their remaining life with Senor Pizza .....