Favorite Food .

- "Ugh… khichdi and veggies? I don't want to eat that. You make the same boring food every single day… you never make anything tasty that I like!" he complained.

- Arjunsinh K. Raulji

Hetu came home from school and threw his schoolbag down on the dining table. He went into the kitchen where his mom, Neela, was cooking. He asked, "Mom, what did you make for dinner?"

"Khichdi, shaak, and bhakri," his mom replied. Hearing this, Hetu's face fell. "Ugh… khichdi and veggies? I don't want to eat that. You make the same boring food every single day… you never make anything tasty that I like!" he complained.

"Then what should I make?" Neela retorted. "If I cook dal-rice or kadhi-khichdi, you still complain. Plain food doesn't satisfy you at all. You want something spicy and fun every day! What on earth can I cook every single day?"

At this, Hetu just pouted and stomped off to his bedroom without eating.

Hetu's grandma (Baa) heard the fuss and said, "Neela, dear, make something that Hetu likes and feed him. I don't want the poor boy going to bed hungry. Go ask him."

Neela sighed and said, "Baa, you know how he is. If I give him idli-dosa, vada pav, sevusal, pav bhaji or even misal right now, he'd gobble it up happily. But how can I make such snacks every single day? Still, I'll whip up some Maggi noodles for him now so he doesn't stay hungry. Don't worry."

At that point, Dadaji (Hetu's grandpa), who had been quietly reading the newspaper, spoke up. "This won't do… We'll have to do something about this boy," he said, "and Neela is right. Listen, Neela, this Sunday everyone will be home. Wake up early and cook enough dal, rice and bhakri-shaak for about fifteen to twenty people. We're going to take it and donate it. I want to bring Hetu along, and you should come too."

Neela agreed, though she was puzzled. So much food? What was Papaji planning to do? Then she thought to herself: whatever it was, it must be for Hetu's own good.

Sunday came before long. Early that morning, Neela cooked a big pot of dal, a big pot of rice, and a large kettle of vegetable curry. She even had the house help roll out and toast a huge stack of bhakhris. By the time all the food was ready, Dadaji, Hetu, and Hetu's father had bathed and gotten dressed. Hetu's Baa had finished her morning prayers too. They filled the food into large containers and packed a stack of disposable plates, bowls, and spoons to take along.

First, the family went to the temple. Outside the temple, a line of beggars and their children sat on the ground. Dadaji led Hetu to the very first beggar in line. The beggar had a tiny boy sitting in his lap. Dadaji gently asked the child, "Son, are you hungry?" The little boy looked at Dadaji blankly, then up at his own father. The beggar softly prompted him, "Go on, tell the kind sir if you're hungry." The child nodded a little. Dadaji continued, "What did you eat yesterday? And when did you last eat?" The boy didn't speak, he just looked again at his father. So the beggar answered, "Yesterday his mother was ill, so we didn't come here and we ate nothing at all. The day before, some kind soul like you gave us a leftover roti - it was a dry roti, probably from the previous night - we ate that with a little chili… and nothing since then."

Dadaji glanced at Hetu, and his eyes said, "See, son? Some people don't even get a dry roti to eat. And whenever they do get food, even a plain roti, they eat it gratefully as if it were a sweet treat."

Hetu stood stunned, his eyes wide.

Then Hetu's family served dal, rice, shaak and bhakris to all the beggars sitting outside the temple. The hungry people fell upon the food as if they hadn't eaten in days. The very dal-rice and veggies that Hetu always complained about… these people were eating them eagerly and gratefully! Hetu could only watch in amazement. At Dadaji's suggestion, he even took some photos with his dad's phone of everyone enjoying the simple meal.

After that, they went to a slum area on the outskirts of the city. In one tiny hut, three or four people lay ill, too weak to even stand. Who knows how many days it had been since they'd eaten. They lit up when Hetu's family offered them food. Seeing the relief and gratitude on their faces surprised Hetu even more. He thought, "I keep whining about what I like or don't like to eat… while out here so many people and kids don't even have the luxury to choose. Whatever little food they get is a huge deal for them."

Hetu realized how lucky he was that he never had to go hungry. He remembered how Dadaji always said, "Food is God. You should never insult food by saying 'I don't like this, I don't like that.' Whatever you get to eat, accept it thankfully."

By the time they returned home that day, Hetu had truly learned his lesson. He still keeps those photos on his dad's phone. Now, whenever there's a dish on his plate that he doesn't feel like eating, he looks at those photos - and right away that dish becomes his new favorite food!