My coconut chutney partner, in particular. Each time I have coconut chutney with a dash of pudina (mint leaves), I really miss my mom. She and I loved it with idly, dosa, vada and puri. Yes, puri. We Tamilians are like that. Coconut chutney is actually a standard side dish with puri. My grandmother, who now lives in California is a fantastic cook and my Mom used to say she learned some of the best tricks in the book from her. Oh, my Mom was a fab cook too. So, even if you are not attending California culinary schools if you are passionate about good food, you may be interested in looking into cooking classes.
Oh well. For three days, I treasured a bowl of chutney and had it with dosa, puri and bread. Yes, bread. Pretty yum, it was, too.
(Picture courtesy: http://www.idlydosa.com/)
And during Navaratri, the coconuts pile up. We make a grated coconut + cardamom + jaggery concoction that Sury likes. And chutney. Lots of it. But only Mom and I would have it. Now, it is just me.