MAGGIE

Today is a busy day at work, but between being busy I am feeling kinda lost and nostalgic. Of course I don't know why I am feeling this way. Lets blame it all on hormones.

The other day Anubha was saying how she is part of Maggie community in Orkut. Then while having Maggie yesterday for dinner I was thinking that truly what a long association I have with this fast food.

I first heard of Maggie when Maggie people came to our school to distribute free packets of Maggie to us in order to popularise it. I took back my free packet home very proudly. My mother had to be coaxed to actually cook the contents of the suspicious looking packet. I am talking about pre-liberalisation times when packaged food was an unheard of thing in India.

Very soon, my brother and me, we got hooked to Maggie. We would negotiate with ma by doing homework quickly or eating lunch without much fuss (I did most of this, since my brother is the most dedicated and sincere soul when it came to doing his homework on time and he never created fuss at mealtimes) just so that we can eat Maggie for afternoon snack or say we say in Bangla "bikel bela" (early afternoon).

Initially we used to have Maggie with loads of water, but one of our cousins introduced us to the joys of dry Maggie. Soon other experiments started like adding butter, cheese, onions and tomatoes etc. Somewhere along the line my brother would foot down and want his Maggie just like Maggie and not one of the weird concoctions I would turn Maggie to. So we struck a deal, one day I would make Maggie my way and the other day he would Maggie the way it is.

Then another new noodle brand Top Raymon hit the markets. We did try it out, but it didn't stand a chance in front of Maggie. So we went back to our dear old familiar Maggie and continued to be loyal to it.

But somehow Maggie wallahs got some funny ideas and they changed our Chicken and Masala Maggie masalas and made it Top Raymon style. This totally put us off Maggie. I remember my brother and me ruing over Maggie's sudden disappearance from our lives.

Then many years later my bro got the very exciting news that Maggie was back in its old flavour, he had eaten it in some friend's house. What a joyous day it was.

Maggie was a huge saviour in my hostel days. It was my lunch/dinner everytime there was lauki/sitafal/kaddu/karela and many other unedible sabzi being served at mealtime. Maggie was also a great in between snack during all night chat sessions. it continues to do so even today.

In my long life I have met loads of people who swear by Maggie. Sometimes in office, if someone cooks Maggie, almost everyone pounces on it and before the person realises his or her Maggie is over.

A little note to our dear Maggie and her makers.

Dear Maggie,

Do you know how much we all love you? Today I want to thank you for those innumerous times when you have saved us from hunger and starvation just by being available?

May you never suffer from any inferiority complex and decide to go for a change over. You are the very best and always would be so.

We all absolutely love you and pledge eternal loyalty to you.

May you be eaten forever.

Your always willing eater,

Eager Maggie Lovers