A playful, dialogue-driven ode to Bengali food culture, where nostalgia, humour, and history simmer together in a kitchen that celebrates flavour, memory, and timeless culinary companionship.
A humorous, nostalgic take on Bengal’s iconic bitter dish, shukto, this piece turns a simple recipe into a dramatic rant. The writer personifies the vegetables, mocks the bittersweet flavours, and reflects on childhood torture turning into adult comfort, celebrating how this quirky dish mirrors the contradictions of Bengali life.
After Delhi’s first showers, a fresh samosa and a tangy chutney fall into their familiar, playful banter at Sharmaji’s tea stall. Though different in texture and temperament, they realise they’re incomplete without each other. Briefly united on every plate, they create magic—an eternal, irresistible pairing savoured in countless memories.
At a bustling wedding feast, Chutney and Papad lament being placed last, doubting their importance. Through banter, reassurance, and a mischievous act of revenge, they rediscover their value. When guests return to them for relief and flavour, the duo proudly embraces their irreplaceable role as the perfect, inseparable pair.
In this edition of Tickling the Humerus, the author humourously tackles the hassles of being a parent to a cat, who thinks nothing of dragging a bird or a lizard inside the house. She recounts her experiences in cleaning up the mess and wonders if she is now fit enough to be a real-life crime cleanup specialist. It should be a cakewalk. Right?
