|
|
|
| Sunday, 23 April 2006 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Tales from
the Walauwa
by Cat O'Logge I had a most interesting week. The Walauwa was a time of activity the past week. Manel from the village was called in to make sweetmeats for Aluth Avurudu. Pala was asked to make a small hut in the backyard to fry the kavum, asmi and mung kavum and such.
Manel has been coming to the Walauwa for as long as I can remember. Every year she'd first go to the kitchen and taste the treacle ,mother of the house had got for the year. She'd pour some on to her palm and take a few licks off it before screwing up her face and then she'll say ayyo hamu! Where did hamu get this seeni pani from? Full of sugar it is ..." and mother of the house will say that Gnana from the village had brought the treacle saying it was the best quality treacle from Kotmale. Manel will look scandalized at this and after carefully making sure that Gnana was not around she'd conspiratorially say that hamu should never buy treacle from Gnana. But no need to tell Gnana that I told this she'll add quickly. But of course, mother of the house will tell Gnana who'll demand to know who had said that the kithul treacle was full of sugar. Mother of the house will promptly say that it was Manel thus ensuring a jolly heated discussion between Gnana and Manel for days to come. However the kavum, kokis will be made and Gnana will be safely employed in the kitchen (well away from the kavum hut) to peel kilos of onions and raw papaws for an achcharu. Rudolphus the lazy idiot was sliding all across the living room when I went inside and whoops, I was too, before long. This is the catch of this glorious season I think. Mother of the house gets someone to rub some awful stuff on the floor and goodness me, is it annoying or what! You can't chase a cockroach in peace. Whatever that substance is, I tell you it was invented to keep cats (and dogs too, Rudolphus wants me to add) from going about their business in dignity. Father of the house had got some men to paint the Walauwa a bit. Later bushes were cut back and plant beds were weeded by Pala. And one fine day just when I thought Pala was in for it for lighting a fire in the living room, the whole household gathered around it and joyously watched something milky frothing out of the pot. But I couldn't catch the rest of it because there was a huge noise, more like a volley of thunder and Rudolphus and I ran for refuge to the nearest room and hid under a bed. Later it died down and I was able to come out just in time to see a throng of people bringing plates full of goodies to the Walauwa. Rudolphus went off to play with all the slippers everyone had left at the doorstep, and I went off to see to the plates of goodies. What do you mean, they won't need me there? Just you wait and oh...Suba aluth avuruddhak Weewa! |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
I'm not very partial to all these sweets, nevertheless it was quite
interesting to lie in a corner well away from the smoke mind you as Manel
spooned out the hissing and spluttering sweets from the hot oil over the
crackling fire. Leela the maid had done a good job of collecting the
firewood and special hanasu from the coconut trees for the kavum hut. 
