I am a Bong, and I love the idea of afternoon naps, which I rarely get to enjoy anymore because now I’m an adult who must work for a living. Also, I love having bhaat, AKA boiled white rice, every day. It cannot be the brown variety, and it cannot be skipped, EVER. If that makes me terribly, stereotypically Bengali, then so be it. It’s just my thang. It always has been and it will continue to be.
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Ever since I was old enough (which was probably from age 5 onwards) to know that diets must be followed, I have been bombarded with “tips” on losing all my “extra” body fat. The one tip that tops all the charts is: give up rice. The addendum was: if you can’t, then at least switch to the healthier alternative, namely brown rice. Without debating over which kind of rice is better, let me tell you the one universal truth we all know in our heart of hearts: white rice is the ultimate soul soother.
You can have rice with anything and every level of your existence — mind, body and soul — will instantly feel happy. This is the best type of carb that ever existed, very closely followed by the second best, that is bread. Have hot bhaat with just a smidgen of ghee, boiled potato and egg, and your day will be made. Serve it with the fanciest chicken dish, or fry it with leftover veggies – the options are really endless when it comes to rice.
So, I apologise to my stupid 14-year-old self, for ever trying to give up rice to get into “better shape”. Society’s diktat made me believe that the only way to be deemed worthy was to have a slimmer body. My shape is awesome, and so is rice. So, diets can suck it, because I ain’t ever giving it up for anything in the world! And may all women never be hangry again.
