What I Miss Most about Home: Mother's Cooking and Childhood Bliss

Every traveler or student who embarks on a new journey, whether it be for work or education, inevitably experiences a yearning for the comfort and familiar surroundings of home. For many, the simplest things we take for granted back home, such as our mother's cooking or the warmth of childhood memories, are the ones we miss the most.

Missing Mother's Cooking

For most of us, the thought of home often stirs a deep longing for the comfort of our mother's cooking. Abhishek Bhagowati, in his experience, shared the compelling desire to relish the simple yet cherished taste of daal-bhaat, cooked lovingly by his mother before he left for post-graduation.

What sets the heart aflutter and memories abuzz is the aroma and taste of home-cooked meals. The picture speaks volumes, showing a plate devoid of food, as he couldn't possibly start eating until his phone was confiscated for not waking up to the alarm. This was a familiar dance that played out every morning, until he left for his hostel. With not just the food but the quiet, loving intervention of his mother serving as a constant reminder of home, the absence was palpable.

The nostalgia is palpable: returning to the hostel after visiting home often results in multiple days when the mere thought of food feels unappetizing. The comfort and familiarity of home-cooked meals, with their unique blend of spices and love, stand out in stark contrast to the impersonal, potentially less-healthy options available in hostels or away from home.

Early Morning Alarms

Another aspect of home that Abhishek misses is his mother's unwavering role as his alarm. No matter how groggy one feels after a solid night of sleep, a mother's timely wake-up calls ensure one is never late. This was particularly stark when he left for his hostel, waking up unwillingly to the sharp morning calls that he had once found annoyance but misses now.

The typical morning scene at home before he headed to his hostel is a joy to reminisce over. The unwavering, loving insistent sounds of his mother, who would call him to wake up well before the official time, would eventually lead to him jumping out of bed. Even now that he wakes up on his own, the nostalgia of those early morning battles is a cherished memory.

Childhood Memories and the Aroma of Home

Home is not just a place but a feeling. It's the place where childhood innocence played with siblings, and the battlefield where tough love shaped young minds. Growing up, the house was not just a structure but a living, breathing entity that held countless memories, from the drawn room pitched as a playground, to the warmth of daal-bhaat in the kitchen. The aroma of home-cooked meals, often met with complaints and arguments, is now valued incomparably more when such moments are almost out of reach.

Numerous examples of home life can paint a vivid picture, but it is often the untold moments that resonate the most. The aroma of meals prepared by mothers, often the center of family discussions, now triggers such a yearning that the very thought sets the mouth watering. The love and effort poured into these meals, garnished not just with spices but with overencompassing love, make them incomparable to anything found in hostels or elsewhere.

More than nine years away from home, every short trip back feels like a precious journey to relive the cherished past. The warmth and familiarity of home, where every corner holds a memory, make the short visits back more joyous and fulfilling than any trip away could ever be.

Conclusion

Home is a feeling; it is the warmth of mother's cooking, the rhythmic battles of pre-dawn wake-ups, and the memories of formative days. These are the things that keep us longing for home, and the absence of them often makes us value them even more. So, to all those embarking on a new chapter away from home, cherish the memories, and remember the warmth and comfort of home in your journeys.