The noodle doodle

As an expatriate, the first thing I did, after moving to a foreign country, was to get a dish antenna fixed onto the roof of my new house. This was ensured in order to watch the news channels that were broadcast from my homeland. I could not do much about what was happening there, because I was now here, and there was a vast distance separating us, but at least it kept me abreast of what our politicians, thinkers, writers and industrialists were doing. 

If truth is told, most of the time their activities filled me with dread. Laws were broken; ministers were imprisoned on haphazard corruption charges that were suddenly dropped when the government changed, misleading election promises were made to the voters, crime was on the rise and Maggi noodles — India’s favourite comfort food — got banned. 

The last one was so random that I am still reeling from shock. For the uninitiated, Maggi is a Swiss brand (owned by Nestlé) that made the famous “two minute noodles”. It manufactured a variety of other products also like sauces, powdered soups and bouillon cubes but when Maggi noodles appeared in India in the year 1983, it became an instant success and captured almost 90 per cent of the noodle market share. 

Why did a product from Switzerland become so popular with Indians whose staple diet till then was either rice or wheat? Well, firstly it was quick to make and like its advertising jingle, was ready in two minutes. That was a great support for all working mothers who had to feed hungry children after coming back from office. Secondly, it could be made healthy and nutritious by adding some vegetables to it and finally, the unusual flavours like “masala”, which were especially tailored for the Indian palate, enhanced its taste some more. 

What started off as a blessing for career-oriented mums very quickly became an essential favourite with bachelors, college kids and young professionals also. One no longer needed to learn elaborate cooking skills in order to satisfy their hunger pangs. All one had to do was boil half a saucepan of water, add Maggi noodles and its sachet of seasoning, and watch the water evaporate. That was it. A plateful of delicious noodles was ready to eat. 

University students, struggling with exam anxiety, had their own individual Maggi stories. Personally I would have failed those tests if my roommates did not make Maggi noodles for me during the midnight hour. It was the only thing that kept me up studying for so late. 

My husband once made a wok full of Maggi noodles that he refused to share with anyone. He was carrying it to carefully when I asked him the time. Involuntarily he turned his wrist to look at his watch and the noodles splattered to the floor. Undeterred, he went back to the kitchen and made a fresh batch for himself, while our dog had an extra after-dinner treat of the damages. 

But last week Maggi noodles were prohibited in India because seven times higher than permissible levels of lead were found in it. We had just got home from a party and listened to this random news in disbelief. 

“Do we have any Maggi packets from India?” my husband asked. 

“Yes, why?” I questioned. 

“I’m going to make myself some,” my spouse announced. 

“You want help?” I offered. 

“Just don’t ask me the time,” he warned. 

“Never,” I said, shaking my head solemnly.