When my Valiammachy, started living in Kayamkulam, she was still in her teens, and her mother made sure goodies cooked at home in Pallickal was sent to her in Kayamkulam. The yummy delicacies like neyyappam, vattayappam, kuzhalappam, achappam, unniyappam, cheeppappam, kumbilappam, upperi, kozhukkatta, ada, all sorts of snacks and anything that is harvested vegetable, rice, tapioca, yam, jack fruit, mangoes, various types of banana, pine apple, bread fruit, custard apple, etc. etc.
Kittan Mooppan, was an attachment to Valiammachy’s home in Pallikkal, he lived with his family in the same compound and attended to every activity in the house, he walked nearly 5 kms every other day shipping food and yield to my Valiammachy. He was an elderly caretaker, who adored our family.
The snacks were all fried in pure coconut oil, or steamed, quality was par excellence.
Some traits and habits never die. This is typically how we are in Kerala, our hospitality is unbeatable. Just a few days ago I was keen to pack homemade food for a dear vegetarian Princess Maku, and for a South American lady chauffeur who passed by home and said my food smells gorgeous.
We all care for our family and friends, I am grateful to God, for giving me my family and friends who take efforts to pack for me love filled delicacies that I preciously preserve and consume.
I still have Valiammachy’s Uppumanga she gave me on one of my trips to Sydney in the early 90’s, Normally we eat a whole mango, since it was so dear I had asked her to cut the mango to smaller pieces to keep the supply last me longer. Once I reached Sydney, for some reason I just preserved them. I still have it as real antique. I know too well, it will be there in Sydney beyond my time. I don’t think I will ever eat them.
The windows of the home had wooden grills and panes, both the doors and windows had carvings which were typical of those days. The carpenters were so talented they would sit for months carving designs on to Teak, Rosewood, and Mahogany windows and doors.
There was no concept of en-suite or attached bathrooms. The toilet was far away from the house in the woods. The bathing area was towards the entrance from the well side. Later when both my grandparents started getting old, we converted one of the rooms to an attached bathroom, which was very handy for the elderly couple in the night. It is worthwhile to think of the lifestyle of our ancestors when they had to go out in the dark to use the toilets in the middle of the night. Did they fear thieves, or did they just fear reptiles and fox. Can we imagine this now, is it doable I don’t know. As humans, we are more scared of humans.
The door from the kettinakam (courtyard) to the Erithil side was a strong oversized metal door with a creaking squeaking hinge and a metal bar which was put across the door, one side in a permanent hook and the other slid into a grove, which fastened and locked the door. This looked like the one at the entrance of old forts to keep enemies out. There was another door to the back of the property, which was of wood and there were 4 steps to reach the ground level. As we stepped out of this door there was a huge jack fruit tree and beyond that crotons were planted in a row separating my Valiappachen’s older brother’s home giving enough privacy, at the same time it just connected both yards for an inside out feel.
I was always amazed by the architecture of this home, whenever we all congregated there for every holiday or whenever my maternal aunts and uncles came from, beyond the borders of the state or country it was a great get together and all the doors were opened to bring nature in, this is the time the hens had a free walk through the dining area and straight to the Erithil to the amazingly serene cows of my Valiammachy.
All her cows were named after the nakshatra (Malayalam zodiac signs) they were born: aswathy, rohini, karthika and my Valiammachy had immense patience to bathe the cows, powder them and adorn their forehead with chandanam (sandalwood) and I always believed she literally dried them with thorthu (towel) like they did after bathing us.
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