Clumsy Kitchens

Written June 1st, 2009  

No, it is not ma's kitchen that is clumsy, just me when I am in it. It is called, I think, a transferred epithet. I am not too bothered to google it*.

Last summer, I was gathering all I need to make an omlette, as I always do: oil, the egg, spoon, salt, pepper. When I was done, and ready to turn on the stove, I laughed. I had forgotten the frying pan!

Yesterday, now the consequences of my absentmindedness was far more than amusement.You see, I was making maggi, the first time without jiji. And always, it is she who is in charge. Maggi, however is a simple enough affair, even when complicated with making tea for dad.

I decided that the tea deserved my attention first. I poured out the milk and water into the vessel; now, how much water would I need for maggi, single pack? It said 1 and half cup. I had a glass at my disposal. What was it that jiji'd said? something was 3/4th something. 

My mind was quite nicely occupied figuring this out, and I poured a whole glass of water into the vessel, then proceeded to wonder a little more. I finally determined that two glasses would do quite nicely- after all, don't I like my Maggi soft? And I realized then that I had poured my earlier glass of water into the wrong vessel. Oh dear!!!

Okay, damage control, now. What do I do with the excessively dilute milk? Why, drink it, of course, considering that I am rather fond of plain, cold milk. And a very good plan it was too, except there's no other word for its taste than yuck!!! Oh! And the maggi turned out soft- too soft. My calculations had been rather skewed.

    

So, you see, when it comes to cooking, I'm more seriously handicapped than being so totally not-confident with the knife! **

_________________________________________________________

*I did! And I was right. Transferred epithet is the trope or rhetorical device in which a modifier, usually an adjective, is applied to the "wrong" word in the sentence. A happy morning, for example. When I will speak of happy mornings, it is not the morning that is happy, but me in the morning.

_________________________________________________________
29 Jan 2011: 

**Keep in mind, dear readers, that this was 2009. I'd like to think I've improved more than somewhat since then.