The Cook who nearly cooked me

Has anyone heard of a cook specialising in Brahmin cuisine? How a need became a nuisance? I was on the lookout for a person who could help me with the cooking. Ideally I needed a part-time cook but no one could fit that bill easily because mine was a joint family with specific requirements of the religion and caste of the would be help.This narrowed the availability of potential candidates considerably. But I continued to ask around till my mother in law thought of the lady in question.The family was known; hence there would be no danger of hiring an unknown person. M as I will call her was a formidable lady, with regard to both appearance and character.But her abilities in the culinary area were unknown and untested.Since I was having guests and could do with some help, I thought, " why not try her out?"  She agreed to come on terms of a daily rate basis for the duration of the guests' stay.The probation period passed off uneventfully and to my tired system and psyche, she seemed a veritable godsend. It was the beginning of a new month and I got down to the tiresome been business of negotiating terms with her." Not a pie less than 8000, she said. " You have a need and me too. I cannot come for less because I have to pay for a Chit scheme that I have joined. Also please pay me additionally for the period of the guests' stay"..I agreed - my despair was her weapon, something which I was to come up against time and again  in the course of my dealings with her.

        In this manner, M came on board heralding the start of quite a tumultuous innings." For me, cooking for ten people or two people is just a matter of less than one hour",she would say airily.Well may she claim because the kitchen resembled a battlefield, with spattering of oily garnish, cooked dal, vegetable peels, tamarind waste;  grimy remnants of a grubby job.l pointed this out to her." Madam, you did not mention that I had to clean up", was the rejoinder. "Anyway since you are particular, give me a mop", with which she perfunctorily wiped the counter top and flung into a corner. For M, cleaning up post cooking was a matter of dragging with her feet,the rag over any floor spill and subsequently  using the same cloth minus rinsing to clean the counter top.

   More fun was in store." I don't work on Sundays. If you want me to come, please pay 200 bucks extra per Sunday", she announced peremptorily. I shrugged haplessly, helpless in the manner of an insect caught in the coils of a predator. One morning, in the course of grinding idli batter, she said brightly," Your grinder is worn out, needs to be replaced.It tskes very long to grind the batter. Buy me a new one or manage with store bought batter". Caught in the midst of a nagging health problem, I had realized by now that in hiring M, I had bitten off more than I could chew.

Diwali was round the corner.A month's salary as Diwali bonus, I was told. ," Also Maami, please get me a silk cotton saree with Kala Niketan border.But Meena, I am not a corporate to afford such fabulous gifts", I muttered feebly, timidly wondering what was in store if I refused to oblige." Ma'am", M said darkly. You wanted a Brahmin cook, a tag  for which  people are ready to pay. If I leave this job, l can get another like this," with a careless flick of her fingers. " Yesterday, one lady offered me 8000 bucks for just making rice, one curry and rasam.l don't even have to grind coconut masala or idli  batter".  " Also maami, from tomorrow I will be coming to work at 5.30 AM since I have to go to the other place to work".By now I had learnt that M had me wrapped around her little finger,- she could make ATD ( any time/ all time demands) and I would just give in.

When I related my tale of woe to my husband, " Sack her " was his advice." She is charging by the hour like a lawyer or accountant  and the work is shoddy to say the least".  But l dithered and a year went by with M calling the shots at every opportunity.Then as I handed her pay packet  at the end of the month, M said carelessly, " I have completed one year in this job.I want a salary hike of 2000 bucks".I was struck dumbfounded at the sheer audacity of the demand. " But Meena, this is surely preposterous" was all I could manage to stutter. " Maami  it's your choice. If you don't give this raise, l'll not be continuing with you ", she trailed off.

This time I turned to my friend Sheela for advice. But she was quite unfeeling and unsympathetic." The  Pay Commission could do with a member of your Cook's abilities. Watch out. She's going to demand arrears with retrospective effect”, she sniggered. I didn't find it funny. But my mind was in a turmoil.  The time had come to take the bull by the horns. That night as I tried to sleep, a gamut of thoughts ran through my mind.Could I manage without the cook? Would l be able to take on the additional physical strain  especially after a leisurely lull?

I rose in the morning, a new person. A new strength and a conviction of purpose possessed me as I proceeded to open the  door to let the cook in." Welcome Maami ", I said in my sweetest ever manner, " to your last day of work ".