STILL THE BAKRA IS SMILING AT ME!

Middle East is famous for two major things, one is rich in “Mallu” population and other is their rich Biryani with fragrant spices!!Now you might think from where this thought of biryani walked through my mind, very simple; nowhere else a well-organized Omani marriage I recently attended!!!

Now here my three membered families, i.e., me, dad and mummy represent the girl’s side, she comes as my dad’s secretary’s sister. The time we walked into their grandly decorated home two people greeted us, secretary and her brother. The secretary is the only educated personality among the group present there! That itself is a great deal!

She lead us to a room (that’s the 1st time am seeing a room unfurnished) and asked us to sit.me and mummy looked around in wonder were to sit, the host understanding our confusion sat down and asked us to sit. We took our seat (i.e. the floor) and looked around. Within a fraction of second a huge group of shining ladies gave their entry, seriously few of them had a tough time to get through the 1m wide door.

They looked at us like the monkeys kept in the zoo with all the wonders of seeing an Indian family attending their marriage functions. They got us different varieties of trays filled with varieties of sweets and eateries. Mmmhh!!!i should appreciate the taste!!A flask of kava (traditional Muslim coffee) and 1 kava cup for the group of 10. They stretched a cup of coffee to me and mummy but resisted having it. But the ladies couldn’t resist the fragrance of the coffee bean, one of the lady took out the cup pour in the coffee drank it dipped the cup into a bowl of water and handed it to next lady. Wow what a passing game!!

Back stage there is preparation of fresh biryani is taking place. Best Omani chefs are preparing it in all better possible ways. After a while of chit chats with all my body including in it, the host took us to the  next room, a few ladies have already taken their seat(floor is the same seat here).they welcomed us to join them, walking in I noticed a huge plate filled with mutton biryani in the right midst of the ladies.

Amidst the talks, I noticed someone is smiling at me sitting right in the middle. Oops!!The “bakra” is smiling at me!!i have seen mummy garnishing the rice or any dishes with tomato skin or greens, never with the head of the animal she had prepared the dish with. Here the character smiling at me is the goat’s head garnished over the biryani. The hosts made it clear, it’s a local tradition were they garnish the biryanis with the ingredients they have used in making of it!!i was freakily surprised in this statement looking at the bakra with his wide open eyes who is looking at me with his smile of sympathy!!As me and mummy are out of non-vegetarians we got our stomach filled watching the bakra whose whole body is been inside the ladies around us!!

Still, the bakra is smiling at me!!I feel its eyes rolling at me!