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Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. Please remember to keep the book club fun. If your life gets hectic, or a book isn't a good match, hit that delete key.
From my Email Bag:
Dear fascinating Suzanne,
Many a time I have wanted to reply to your interesting emails, but something crops up, and I drop that thought. But your columns sure do make our minds fly to various points in life, mostly fond memories of the past, or our dreams and aspirations. This week, talking about Thanksgiving brings back so many fond thoughts back from my country. Oh, did I mention, I very recently moved to the US from India, and all my childhood, I was lucky to spend every summer at my maternal grandparents' place in a very scenic village in S. India.
On any given day, there would be at least 25 people for lunch. The lunch preparation began bright and early in the morning, with all the ladies pitching in, and there would be so much zeal and pleasure in the way they cook, right from the scratch. Never a complaint, never a frown. Even though fifty percent of the country moved to cooking with modern equipment, gas stove and such, my grandparents were very old-fashioned. It was a woodstove! The food was never late, all ingredients always fresh picked, from the garden, and will please your palette with every morsel of food you gulp down!
This was our Thanksgiving feast EVERY single day! Every day was special, with non-stop chatting, giggling, feasting. And my grandparents, though they were in their 70s and 80s always had a smile for us, making sure ingredients were replenished for the next meal (feast!).
And here I am, all of 35 yrs old, with two adorable daughters, but to get through every single day, thinking and planning a meal, and serving it with a smiling face is like climbing Mt. Everest for me. Right from childhood, I have enjoyed cooking, it is like a relaxation for me, and my family enjoys my cooking. But doing it round the clock, with a smile on your face, now that's tough! Though I watch every single cooking show, read your recipes, and I try out some, I always go back to my comfort food that my parents and grandparents cooked for us through the childhood.
I would like to end by saying, no matter what country, what culture, I should say, the motherly and grandmotherly love, dedication/ true feelings are the same everywhere. You have shown it to the world by your writing!
Thank you so much for sharing..
Have a great Thanksgiving with family, friends AND strangers!!
Regards,
Jaya
Maryland, USA.
Thank you so very much for your kind words Jaya and for sharing your story. It is so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is Under The Sea-Wind by Rachel Carson. To comment on the book and get some holiday recipes from Suzanne, go to: http://tinyurl.com/NovClassics
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