Paalum Vellam
I had a craving today to drink 'Paalum Vellam'.
In my mother tongue , Malayalam , 'Paal' means milk and 'Vellam' means water. So i wanted to drink milk water. The term may sound strange to all of you. But this word has more to do with just the drink. It brings back sweet memories from my childhood days, spent with my grandmother in Kerala.
When we were kids, we eagerly wait for summer vacations to go to our native place, Kannur in Kerala. All my cousins were in Kerala. Only our family stayed in Karkala, Udupi district as my father settled in Karnataka owing to his work.
So summer vacation is the time when we look forward to meet everyone and have a gala time with cousins.
When we all play and head back home, grandmother will tell our aunt to make 'Paalum vellam' for all kids. Grandmother would buy only one glass of milk daily. This milk is diluted with enough water to make atleast 4 glasses of milk. Although, we would have had creamy milk back home, 'Paallum vellam' would be the tastiest drink that we all eagerly wait for. There is nothing but watery milk and sugar in it. But may be the love that our grandmother poured into it made it so tastier. We all would drink it and want more, but hide our desire as we all knew that grandmother could not afford to buy more milk.
Now, my grandmother is no more. We are all grown up and earn enough to buy gallons of milk. How much ever i try to make 'Paalum vellam', it does not taste like the one I had in childhood.
In my mother tongue , Malayalam , 'Paal' means milk and 'Vellam' means water. So i wanted to drink milk water. The term may sound strange to all of you. But this word has more to do with just the drink. It brings back sweet memories from my childhood days, spent with my grandmother in Kerala.
When we were kids, we eagerly wait for summer vacations to go to our native place, Kannur in Kerala. All my cousins were in Kerala. Only our family stayed in Karkala, Udupi district as my father settled in Karnataka owing to his work.
So summer vacation is the time when we look forward to meet everyone and have a gala time with cousins.
When we all play and head back home, grandmother will tell our aunt to make 'Paalum vellam' for all kids. Grandmother would buy only one glass of milk daily. This milk is diluted with enough water to make atleast 4 glasses of milk. Although, we would have had creamy milk back home, 'Paallum vellam' would be the tastiest drink that we all eagerly wait for. There is nothing but watery milk and sugar in it. But may be the love that our grandmother poured into it made it so tastier. We all would drink it and want more, but hide our desire as we all knew that grandmother could not afford to buy more milk.
Now, my grandmother is no more. We are all grown up and earn enough to buy gallons of milk. How much ever i try to make 'Paalum vellam', it does not taste like the one I had in childhood.
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