I used to be actively involved with all the arrangements, the start and action for the cut and clean of the buckets of fish that was unloaded, there was a mix of pallathy (baby karimeen) karimeen the size of our palm, small shrimp blackish grey color, prachi, koozhavaali, thedu, njandu etc. etc., as Amma had got the whole vallom.
Amma sat on the kerb, took her special knives and then brought the Meen Chatty, with Karimeen close to her. It’s more pricy, precious, more in number and the process takes longer to complete, as the scales are so tough it’s like the scale armour of ancient roman soldiers. The fins are so strongly reinforced into the sides of the fish, like torsteel driven into piles deep under the ocean for the ONGC drilling platforms, the bones are like spears and so sharp, sharper and stronger than the kuthu sooji (needle with a handle used in our printing press for making holes in the paper).
Once the process is over for each category I keep running back and forth to the kitchen work area to separate the fish to size and keep them ready for Amma to come, divide, distribute to family and friends and to make 5 types of curry.
Meen vevichathu, thenga aracha pachacurry, peera pattichathu, varuthathu, fish molie. At home we never had the habit of freezing anything, the whole lot would be distributed, Chechy, Samichayan etc. got a fair share and the cooked fish was also shared to many. The excitement and thrill we derive from sharing food was unmatched, and I still love the feel and I am grateful to God Almighty I still have the courage to do the same.
I loved watching Amma cut the fish and sat by the kerb, I used to plead with her to give me one to cut and clean, she never ever allowed me to share her share. She always made a statement: നീ മീൻ ഞെക്കി പഴുപ്പിക്കും (she meant I will hold the fish tight and make it go fishy!!! I mean ruin the fish)
After much persuasion she allowed me to clean the shrimp and I simply loved it, I would clean without removing the head of the shrimp and extremely careful of the moustache, not poke my tiny fingers, (this is after a few pierce and bleeding initially). I would turn the shrimp upside down and hold in my left hand and use my right hand thumb and forefinger to turn out the scaly cover and go down gently to the tail and undress the shrimp.
Then by pressing and squeezing gently the tail edge attached to the body releases the tail, head is separated if needed to, by pulling the head gently and this process is repeated until I finish with all, then if I am lucky I will get the opportunity to use Amma’s knife to slit a small line on top of the shrimp along the back and pull gently the black intestine, that’s what she used to tell me then, and that completes the cleaning process. Rest of the washing and cleaning was not given to me.
One time when I asked her to give me a karimeen she refused profusely and I sat there watching her ardently with a solemn look, that’s when I saw something weird about Amma’s foot, her right foot had the 3 toes attached together and skin was all rolled on top of the toes. Amma was pretty plump and had excellent complexion, especially her leg and stomach was round and fair.
I was perplexed and asked her why and how she has such special features on her foot, the story goes as follows:
As a young girl in Kayamkulam, she was playing around near the well which was right in front of the home and near the entrance, after harvesting the paddy fields, the crop used to be steamed near the well on fire places made with stones in the form of a tripod and there were huge vessels of bronze used for steaming the raw rice.
Once the steaming and boiling is over the stone and the fire place is shut down by pouring water over the fire and ash.
That particular day, whoever shut down the fire didn’t do a proper job, the fire place looked harmless like innocent light grey ash and Amma ran through the same, apparently it was hot and still fuming within, it was sesame hay, which is very deceiving looks like harmless cold ash and grey in color, her feet got stuck in the smolder and she was about to fall into the little but dangerous pit of smoldering fire.
To my Appa’s, my brothers and my and luck and perhaps a lot of people who still cherish her, Padeettathile Appachen was coming back from Kayamkulam court, heard a scream before seeing her and ran and lifted her up like Jatayu. In the agony and pain she used her left leg, pressed and rubbed on the right foot to get the pain off and the skin and flesh which was already cooked rolled up joining together.
Valiammachy heard the hue and cry and came running with the kozhiney(chicken fat) and poured on her feet. This prevented the feet from blistering and causing more catastrophe. I have seen Kozhiney, in a glass bottle by the side of the stove from the time of my birth. Anytime there is a scalding or burn this is applied instantly to prevent blistering and infection. First class remedy. Proven.
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