HABITS
FOOD HABITS
Cutchi Memons were essentially vegetarians. Non-vegetarian food was consumed mostly on festive occasions and when special guests were entertained; rarely as a daily routine. Normal breakfast included Mani (Chapati) or Chilla (Pancake) or Parattha (Varvari Mani) taken with Malai (Cream) or butter and dal or cooked vegetables. Eggs were used only with French bread (double roti) bought from outside bakeries, although they would occasionally go with Mani. Lunch comprised of Mani, plain rice or pulav, vegetables, dal, and curd. Dinner was either Mani, dal and vegetables or Khichdi. Masalo, green coconut, small onions, red chillies, garlic and ginger ground together like Chammanthi was a favourite side dish for Khichdi. Occasionally dry prwns were added to the ingredients as a seasoning. A Tansri was used to eat semi loose khichdi (paankhi khichdi). Adding fresh warm ghee on khichdi was a must. Khichdo, hard khichdi made of rice, mong dal, potatoes and winter vegetables was an alternate choice. Fish or mutton was never the principal dish, it was only a supplement or side dish. Biriyani was reserved for very special occasions like marriages and Eids. For other functions like Chario, Moulud and Ziyarath Ghee rice (Amso Khao) – mutton curry combo was the usual food. Eating Mani made with garlic leaves and sprouts (Lassan ji Mani) was a weekly fat reduction scheme during winter for many families. Garlic sprouts were grown at home.
Food was never wasted. Left over Mani would be soaked in milk or water overnight and made into Malido next morning. Malido is a traditional sweet confection of Afghan origin, made out of leftover parathas or rotis, by crumbling and pounding them coarsely and stir frying them with ghee, sugar, dry fruits and nuts.
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An item which has ceased to be a staple food was Mutthiya, rice or wheat flour fisted dumplings steamrrred dry or boiled with a gravy. Different kinds of Mutthiyas were made with a variety of green leaves like spinach, dry fish or meat for gravy.
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Traditional sweets made at Memon houses included Nankhattai, Dum Roat, Gudpapdi and Lola, all of which have disappeared from homes and some have found a place in bakeries where their namesakes of inferior quality are sold. These snacks were the favourites of children. They were used to be made in quantities and stored in airtight tins for days together. Fried vermicellis (Bogeyl Sevyun) and Seero were favourite supplements to breakfast.
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Eating together both at home and on common functions was considered a blessing. Until about 1960s four or six persons eating together from the same plate (Khomcho or Thhalo), and drinking water from the same tumbler was the norm at dawats, At the same time, women at home or at a dawat were not expected to eat before men had eaten, especially before the head of the family shall have taken food. There again the mother-in-law had the precedence over the daughter-in-law and the senior most lady over all other women. Servants were the last to eat. There were servants or poor relations residing for long with the families who were considered as family members for all other purposes were, on festive occasions, allowed to join other members, if only they were eating from individual plates
Chewing Pan
Taking Dhana - Somph - Khopro (Colloquial-Topro) mixture after food was common with all ages. Pan after a meal was an essential thing at home and at every function. Except very young boys and girls everyone was accustomed to chewing Pan, with or without tobacco. Arecanuts of various descriptions – tender, raw, ripe, dried, diced, flaked, scented – were available and used according to affordability. One of the ingredients was specially prepared lime (Chonn), white or scented with Kantho. Beedas with kantho, and enriched with spices and sweeteners was a rich man’s privilege; while common people were content with simple pan, white lime and raw nuts. Tobacco was added as a mild intoxicant. Varieties of tobacco were available – highly priced Yappanam, common man’s Vadakkan, scented and sweetened with jiggery. Every house and every establishment had thokdanis of brass, bronze, copper and enameled. Thokdanis were available on rent for functions. Pann Kotni - Okhli made of Cast iron or carved in stone blocks was a common place item in every house where there were old people for whom pan was to be pounded into chewable lumps. Incidentally, the freshly chewed pan was used effectively to bandage cuts and bruises. A Pandan was a common sight with every house, business place and every chain chewer's hand.
Smoking
Smoking Hukkah was popular until the advent of cigarettes. A hookah is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for vaporizing and smoking flavoured cannabis, tobacco, or sometimes opium, whose vapour or smoke is passed through a water basin before inhalation. It was a luxury of the rich and a matter of courtesy for big businessmen to offer the clients a puff or two on the hukkah. Poorer people used Beedis. Even though certain ladies are said to have been smoking beedies, more as sputum releaser, smoking at home was neither popular nor encouraged. Smoking in the presence an elder person was totally unacceptable and was viewed as an act of indiscipline and sheer arrogance. Smoking Dattura leaves and flowers was, however, acceptable as a treatment for Asthma and chest congestion and occasionally for its psychoactive properties.
