Baking, Spelling and Love Go Hand In Hand

For many people, today was primarily Valentine’s Day, whether they have someone special, sad memories, family or a fondness for chocolate. Not surprisingly, I’m not one of those people.

Today was all about the spelling bee for me. That, and taking care of the muscle I pulled a couple days ago. The national level spelling bee held its semi-final round today, out of which 16 kids will be selected to go on to the final round. There was no fanfare this time; it was online and we had to go to the local radio station to give it. It was a basic 15-minute, multiple choice paper and I’m hoping I got nothing wrong, because smart as I am, I did have to guess at a few words. Anywho, we’ll get the results on Sunday, so till then my fingers are crossed.

After giving the test, the other finalist and I spent some time with the people at the radio station, and I was a little surprised by how casual everything was. It was a very fun atmosphere, with enough camaraderie, bonhomie and cheerfulness to brighten up my school, which desperately needed brightening up. I wouldn’t mind working in such a cheerful place. No, not at all.

I think their cheerfulness rubbed off on me a bit, because I ventured into the kitchen for the second time in a week, quite enough times for a while, I feel. This time I made two sumptuous cakes, one a marble cake trying to imitate Starbucks and the other a bundt cake that would have been gorgeous, had the silicon mould not refused to let go of it. They were both tasty anyway, and that’s what really mattered. That, and the fact that my mother actually ate some, because she chooses not to eat decadent, tasty stuff at night.

All this cheerfulness and freeness in less than 12 hours is not really what I’m used to; when you’re a student in a country like India, free time is at a premium and assignments, homework and tests threaten to overpower hapless pupils at all times. I changed my board, hoping for more interactive learning and more interesting subjects, but in IGCSE, I have to work even more. Not that I mind too much; I get to learn more and I get free time, but the work gets to you wherever you are. In a place like this, with all the stress and tension of doing well and getting out of this place as a result, having a mental health day with a generous side serving of carefreeness and fun is what’s needed to keep us all normal and not too stressed. It’s solid advice that everyone nods along to, but it’s rarely ever followed. 

Of Pastas and Introductions

So, this is my first post as a blogger, and I apologize (but not too profusely) for the obvious suckishness of things done the first time around.

Well, awkward bumblingness aside, today I, Day Orrow (that be a pseudonym, peasants), made pasta that was liked by people other than herself. It was quite a simple and unelaborated affair: boil macaroni pasta with a pinch of salt and rosemary, sauté some garlic in olive oil and add seasonings, butter and pasta and voila! The most straightforward and yummy pasta ever made in this corner of the earth is ready. And for something with such a simple process and a creator so devoid of finesse in the kitchen, I was frankly surprised when three – yes, three – of my food-loving cousins adored it. It’s quite unfortunate I didn’t make more, but I didn’t anticipate such a positive reaction. 

In truth, I am an average cook, meaning I can just about make pasta, instant coffee, tea and cakes and cookies, and a few other such insignificant things, but my family thinks my cooking is wonderful. I personally feel they say that out of the goodness of their hearts, given my limited experience in kitchens and my astounding laziness, but despite everything, my ventures into the kitchen usually end well.

Oh, and for the introductions. I believe I made it known earlier in this post that I go by the name Day Orrow, and as the title of my blog probably tells you, this is going to be about silliness, musings, posts made in free time and everything in between. Have fun browsing!