Anand’s story
We were a joint family of 13 people. There were literally only 2 ‘supermarkets’ in Nagpur. So the groceries were bought in bulk from the wholesale market in the old city. Going to the supermarket was a Sunday evening fun activity. This one time, my father took me to the supermarket with him. I saw an aisle full of jams! I went through all the emotions of a cartoon character whose eyes turn into hearts/stars (in my case bottles of jam) and the tongue fall out. I love jam.
For some reason, my tiny brain thought that marmalade is a better version of jam; when I say better, I mean better in all ways humanly possible. I told my dad that we need to buy it. He warned me that I won’t like it, but the conviction of a full 8-year-old who listens to no logic except for his internal logic is immovable. So we bought it. And truly enough, when I actually had it I hated it! It wasn’t sweet, it had a strong orangey aftertaste.
I did not eat marmalade for a decade after that. It was only when I started living away from the family that I had it. And every time I did, I was/am reminded of this memory and of my 8-year-old self.
My experience making, eating and feeding Orange marmalade
- This is another food making which made me feel like a wholesome grandma. I imagine an alternate life where my family meets on Sundays for breakfast and eats toast with the Marmalade I made from fresh oranges from my backyard. Yes, in my alternate life I am rich af and have a functional family capable of jovial and uplifting conversations at a table.
- Mummy loved the marmalade and ate it for dinner. Yes, dinner.
- True to Anand’s story, babyR refused marmalade in favor of store-bought mixed-fruit jam. I like to believe that she will remember this experience and tell a future P about it over a shared food story.
- There is something about jams and marmalades that make them perfect for care packages (still cannot get over how warm the phrase sounds). Mummy, in her impatience, took a warm bottle for her friend. The other one I packed in bubble wrap to send to Anand, who has promised to send me cookies. Oh, the joys Via Dil got me!
- There are little birds that sit at the window and eat the grains papa leaves out for them. Pealing oranges and cooking them is a long long, long process. It helped to have their company.
I feel an inexplicable sentimentality about hand-me-downs. I love to wear mami’s and R’s outgrown clothes and cannot make myself wear clothes handed me by people who I do not like. I inherited tiny bottles of jams and marmalades from mama mami when I was in college. This is a photo of the bottles from 2018.
Recipe
https://www.monpetitfour.com/orange-marmalade-recipe/
I picked this recipe because it explained to me why I was doing what I was doing, that the white between the rind and the pulp is the bitter part. It told me how to check if the marmalade is ready, how to fix it if over or undercooked, which is so important for someone cooking for the first time.