How my granny survived without spice for 30 years and more!

Even before I was born, around 1985 my granny (paternal) had stopped eating spices; any kind. And she lived a long life until 2020.

My granny and I were never that close but since I was born, I have never seen her eating any spice or spicy food. Yes! she ate only bland, plain and heavily salted food. She had had her kids & grand kids married, their kids were born, but my granny!! she never ate even a pinch of spice.

Once curious, I asked my granny, “What is the secret behind your ‘No Spice Strike’?”. She laughed at me and said me a story, which today I am sharing with you.

The story begins like this!!

Long, long ago there lived a happy couple with 8 children; 5 girls and 3 boys. It was a very happy family. And one day..!!! Ohh! No I can’t do this story telling. Let me get straight to the topic.

My granny was fine until around 30–32 years ago, but then suddenly she started getting immense stomach pain. Basically what had happened is that excess production of acid in the stomach had scalped out the stomach lining and that had caused the ulcers. At first she ignored, then she did some home remedies. But when none worked and the pain kept increasing, grandpa took her to the hospital and the doctor advised to cut off the spice as he found no other way to cure.

That was it! Since that day my granny stopped eating the spice. No spice in rice or in curry. Just plain, bland and salted vegetables for sides with brown rice. She did not do it for one day or two, but for more than 30 years! I swear I would have gone crazy if I had to do any such diet in my life.

I had never seen her complain. And she would instantly identify if at all I had spiced her food with even a little pinch of Chilli powder. She was smart! my granny after all!! She would cook spicy food, but never taste it. She never had the urge to do it either. Such a constant consistent commitment you see..!!

One more interesting thing about her is that, she would try some weird food items like sweetened and dried banana, dried ivy/scarlet guard (Thonde Kai :P ), dried bitter guard, in simple she would salt/sweeten and dry anything eatable under the sun and serve my grandpa! My poor grandpa would always eat it and never even bothered to complain how bad it was! He was an angel, after all.

But when I look back at her life, though she ate no spice, she lived a very healthy life. She was a small woman but very very strong. She was a one heck of a person. My mum would always tell me that it’s her diet which kept her that strong and healthy through out her life, taking all emotions equally.

Following her path, even I don’t eat a lot of veggies. But to granny, mum always praised and I always ended up getting scoldings. Now you know the true tragic story!

My granny lived for more than 90 years and recently left us all in this pandemic, due to ageing. Though she ate no spice, she lived a perfectly healthy life and loved her life so much. She was proud of everything she did. Even till her last day, she never asked for any kind of food which had spice, she would eat smashed brown rice curd and pinch of salt in her last days. That was it!

Sometimes I just miss her and the way she lived. But Cookie(if you remember) has taken over my granny’s room and once again it’s filled. Even cookie doesn’t eat spicy food, you know! :P

Though she never ate spice, my grandpa always asked her to get the chillies (he just loved spicy food..! )from the garden for his lunch, “Saraswathi!! Harimiri haadi(Saraswathi!!Get green chillies)” . Ironic huh!!

Cheerios!

Until next time!!