Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Dusty covers?!!



I just don't get it!!



I've opened my refrigerator for the umpteenth time, but am yet to figure out how to magically bring in the contents that should be there and not what is.


Took me back to the time, the refrigerator came into my home, many years ago. Those days, everything had to have a place,.The fridge was duly installed in its justified position. A neatly embroidered cover was fished out...and promptly spread over the top.


"Do you have to cover everything in sight, Ma?"


"Yes! its so dusty. It'll become very dirty and discoloured"


A few years later I see this Ad on tv..and I had to literally slap my grinning face...it was an ad for a detergent soap with a netted cover. And the family were parsis.


Thats when I had thought. Nooo , you havent seen us south indians. We have so many things around the house, that there'll be more covers than in a wedding buffet dinner.


The wet grinder, for the thousands of dosas that have to be churned out most mornings, the phone ( here we can place two, one below and one on top), the humble mixer, which needs to be moved, cleaned so many times in a day...but still it can boast of one to keep its bottom warm.


Have you see the TV..though it came much later to our city...I remember the panic my mom went into, when she couldn't find something to cover it..The dimensions were a little vague...you had the front, back, top....she was stumped. But even there she had found a way. A huge table cloth and the deed was done. Then of course, the plasticky covers were sold much to the amusement of all of us at home..which was bought pronto all the way form Bombay.


These very effective sheets, covers, etc of course had another skill that got going.One started to learn embroidery to put on it. Fabric painting classes...and the ads would say...learn fabric painting for table cloths, fridge covers, phone cover,etc. Yes there was a skill being learnt!


Thankfully now the trend has died down, I assume with the rapidly changing appliances and also the fact that the skills attached to them stayed back with the generation that brought the covers in.
And now when I open the refrigerator, I see one more trait of our clan...its always 'curds' ( yoghurt) in there...more than what they need. But one ounce less and there is a stress attack out there...


24 comments:

aMus said...

heh..heh...lol

i remember those days indeed!!and te curds fascination...omg...i can do without it but its absence is one thing that can send my calm tempered hubby into a sulk...:)

Bikerdude said...

Gaaahaha good one! What's a south Indian fridge if it doesn't contain 25 gallons of curd, one sector of pumpkin, some wilted corriander and eight slowly ripening green chillies?

I always fought with my mom as a kid complaining that our fridge doesnt look in the least like the gorgeous ones in those Tom and Jerry cartoons!

Keshi said...

lol I hate covering things..especially electrical appliances.

I know some ppl who cover their sofas too urrrrrrrrrg!

Keshi.

Sairekha said...

Hehehehe... Curd, Covers and Coffee Completes the southie's home.. you c?? :)

Shammi said...

ha... how about people who leave the plastic cover on the mattress and spread a bedsheet over it, to "keep it from getting dirty"? :D

--xh-- said...

ha ha ha.. thatz so true.. i still remember the TV cover, fridge cover, Mixie cover, table cover, sofa cover and n numebr of covers we used to have...and psst - i brought a refregirator cover whn i brought a refrigarator few months back... :) old habits die hard...

but otoh, i never uses cover for my cell or for any otehr thingies... :)

Unknown said...

Lol.. and then covers for the sofa and even the remote too. It's kinda funny in a way.

Yogurt.. same pinch :P

Bimla Kalauny said...

Bang on! :-D. Trust me this is mot restricted to south Indian homes. You should see what my mom's place looks like!

Jaya said...

Good post. There used to be cover for cars too...Not anymore I think.

Jaya said...

Maybe you might get this one:
http://trailbrooklane.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-just-dont-get-it.html

Also, you are tagged:
http://talloakroad.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-like-you-i-like-you-not.html

Prats said...

@TA fun days thankfully uncovereed! Curd mania...I suppose with the hubby....but I understand him :D

@bikerdude. Hey welcome here...bengaluru huduga should know this fascination....and awww...the Tom and Jerry didnt work i'm sure. My sis and I went through that too and threatened my mom that we would load our fridge with goodies just like they showed in those English serials....

Prats said...

@keshi....sofa covers madam!!! what say...It wont show stains or dust...it'll be verrrry clean and new.. heheheh

@ziah Oh my gosh!! You gave away our C's secret heheh...coffee in dabri or dabra...whatever....sitting on covered sofa, and thinking of how much curd is to be made in the night...

@shyam, eeeks...that now gives me creeps....its like scratching on the walls with your nails....with all the sound effects....yeeooowww

@xh You really did?? huh!!! Now, now....I wont say a word :)

@

Unknown said...

so true...I remember those crochet covers and doilies...my sis was an expert...
about the curds..i think that runs in every Indian family..I get a panic attack when I see it almost gone..since father and son have to have that...

Rambler said...

we have a very dust prone house, and I simply cover my PC with an old bedsheet totally, almost like a burqa..and my mom whenever looks at this unattractive sheet at the corner of the room curses me for not having good taste.. :)..

Tys on Ice said...

oh my god! u recall those plastic covers that still cover the sofa and those plastic covers for the remote...there was even a condom for the mobile...

whn i first brought my wife home, they wrapped her up also ..thts why i call her my sweet candy

UL said...

very nice -hey there's a little gift awaiting you at my site, hope you will like it...i havent had a chance to read your older posts, but hope to be back..

Prats said...

@smita...gosh those crochet work...still remains there in my head...its nice to know that most people just needs to get their curd supply increased and half the stress around would be reduced

@rambler...bedsheet....I know how tough it can be....somehow they seem better, than the hundreds of mini, plastic , crochet, wool, etc covers....:)

@tys...oh yes!!! all somehow doesn't manage to slip out of the memory box....condoms for covers I remember had me in shock for a few days..
and candy wife?!!! I guess they wanted to go the whole way to make you feel at home :D

@ul Hey...nice to have you here after a long time. Will surely come over and look at what your offering

Preeti Shenoy said...

LOL..Oh yes!! Could relate--but the wet grinder in my home does not have a cover.:-)All those covero-holics that i met during my formative years in Chennai did me in I guess!(But I did learn to make the prefect idlis and dosas) an to set 'Curds' :-) :-)LOL

Preethi said...

reading from the neighbours place.. look what it has come too.. can so relate to this.. esp the curds!! :)

AlterinG Abhishek said...

cover t up..
nice read!

Anonymous said...

hehehhe! totally :)

u r gettin over it? i cant even think f it goin out my house really soon :))



Curd :))

an ounce less alwayzz...:))

Prats said...

@ps oh you don't cover the grinder? lol!!

Yep but you have learnt the right stuff....to maketh a wife and mother

@preethi. Hope your connectivity gets better...so curds it has to be....and now more so...hot hot chennai will really spin its tales on you

@alteringabhishek Thanks...and welcome here.

@veens gotten over it....though when I do get the urge...I try to make it discreet... :D
one ounce less??? aaawww

ceedy said...

hahaha
lol with the yogurt - have had that experience first hand...


and maybe its an innate desire to cover every thing since they cant wear burkha????

Solitaire said...

hahahahah!!!!! Took me back into time too. I actually had embroidered my TV cover. And on Diwali, we would change all the covers. :)