Salt and Love

Have any of you heard this Indian folk tale about salt ? Here is the version that my parents used to narrate when I was a kid and now continue to narrate to our kids.

Once upon a time, there lived a king with three daughters. He wanted to find out how much his daughters loved him. One day, he called each of them and asked "How much do you love me?". The first two daughters, who were mean and cunning, told him they loved him as much as sugar and sweet jaggery. The third daughter, who really adored her father, told him she loved him as much as salt. The first two answers made the king happy but he was very disappointed with the third answer. He banished the third daughter from his kingdom. She walked through a forest, met a kind wood-cutter, married him and they lived happily in a small cottage. Years later, the first two daughters managed to seize the throne and banished their father. The king walked through the same forest and met the same wood-cutter, who was very kind to the hungry and tired person he came across. He invited him home. Through the kitchen window, the third daughter, now the wood-cutter's wife, saw her father arrive at the cottage. She quickly went ahead to prepare a big meal. As they sat down to eat,  the king found everything tasteless. At that time, the third daughter came forward with a can of salt. She had not put salt in any of the dishes. The king quickly realized his mistake. It is not in sweet words that love exists but in kind actions. The king stayed with the third daughter and they lived happily ever after in the small cottage. 

Love = Sugar, Jaggery or Salt ?

I am not sure why, but I simply loved to hear this story over and over again. I think it was because it validated my dislike of people who sweet-talk. As far back as I can remember, I never liked people who act nice just to create a great impression. It was quite easy to sense people who wanted to be nice for the sake of being nice from those who genuinely cared. This story had a great message about kindness being the measure of true love. The fact that the youngest daughter, was living a happy life, even when she did not have any luxuries, was also a good lesson.

Couple of years ago, when my daughter was in first grade, she came home excited, telling me the teacher had read her grandmother's story of salt in class. It was interesting to know there was an English book with this story. My immediate reaction was to search for it online. When I could not find any books, I asked the teacher about the story, and she showed me a laminated reading sheet they use in class. She had a huge collection of reading sheets with wonderful folk tales from around the world.

There is nothing better than a folk tale to convey simple life lessons so beautifully. Do you agree? At least, I hope you do not take this (post about salt) with a grain of salt.

Spinach Juice and Burnt Roti

"Spinach juice, anyone?", I asked stepping out into our backyard, balancing glasses of cold, fresh juice made from spinach and a few fruits.

Spinach juice, anyone?

Seeing the green juice, my husband frowned but said he will try it later. My son came running, took a sip, and said he too will try it later as it was too cold for him. My daughter tried it, said it was good, and we sat on the swing sipping the healthy juice. I was surprised that it actually tasted good.

I would have never thought of making juice with spinach. The new blender and the recipes that came along with it seemed to stress the fact that you can mix in green vegetables with other fruits and not feel any raw taste. Well, I was about to make palak paneer, an Indian dish with spinach and cottage cheese. I could spare a few leaves and try this seemingly healthy and easy option. When I saw my daughter finish her glass, I was glad I tried the recipe.

Later that night, after the kids went to bed, I found my son's glass half-filled with juice. He seemed to have taken few more sips but had not finished it. My husband told me that our son did not like it and added that even our daughter had not liked it. Really? She had finished the whole thing with a smile! It looks like she did not want to disappoint me which is why she drank it with a happy face. Aww, how sweet of her! In fact, I would have felt a little down if no one had liked it. That aside, I thought it would be best for her to be frank and be able to say if she didn't like something, without sounding offensive.

Next day, when they were back from school, I asked her about the juice and if she really liked it. She told me she had not liked it but drank it as she did not want to make me sad. I was trying to figure out a way to explain how she could have conveyed the same thing by giving me a nice feedback. Interrupting my thoughts, she said "It is just like grandpa's story, the one about burnt roti". She was referring to the story about a boy and his father eating burnt roti (bread) made by his mother. This story about Dr. Abdul Kalam, the late president of India, was popular in social media, and was narrated to the kids by my father. In that story, the boy's father eats the burnt roti without complaining and tells his wife that he liked it. When the boy later asks his father if he really likes burnt roti, he says he doesn't. The father points out the effort put in by the mother to make the roti and goes on to point out that no one is perfect and in this imperfect world, we need to be ready to accept the faults of others, and live with love and compassion.

After listening to her narration of the story of burnt roti, I did not go ahead with my advice. The story highlights the importance of acceptance and understanding and reinforced her ideas around such character traits. I was amazed by the magical touch of stories. I should sit down and write about this incident, I said to myself. After all, what better way to convey such important messages than through another story!