An Ode to Maggi

Been reading this article on the high levels of trans-fats Maggi contains and thinking that I should be so dead by now because I've probably eaten over 6000 packets of Maggi in this lifetime. Now why do I have this irrational fondness for Maggi? It's like a spell that has been woven around me and I am powerless to resist. No matter what substitutes or distractions there may be, my taste buds remain faithful to the aromas and flavor of Maggi.

Some addictions in life refuse to go away. In this world, we find it tough to let go of innumerable things. Your head says no, and you try your best to avoid such distracting temptations but then something arrives that sparks off memories of the old, and there you go back to square one because your heart refuses to listen to your head. You just want to ignore what the mind is telling you.

Well, I know I've gone off on another tangent but my relationship with Maggi is not very different. Though they claim to have introduced a new variety with no trans-fat, I still cling on to the old Maggi Masala. It's an addiction, a relationship, a temptation, a companion, just like a long-lasting commitment that you don't want to give up on or break.

It's hard to part ways when there are so many wonderful memories associated with Maggi. Memories of boarding school years in Darjeeling, where I first ate Maggi on those bitter cold nights sometime in the 80s. I was reading a special mid-year  issue of The Week where they mentioned that Maggi came to India in 1982, which was the exact year I was packed off to boarding school at the age of 5. Gosh, I am so so old. Trying to remember those days when we first learnt how to cook Maggi, managing to source hot water from somewhere, crushing the Maggi into bits and pieces inside the packet so that it cooks faster, emptying the contents into a mug, adding the masala, covering it with a piece of paper, and occasionally stirring it with a toothbrush end. Well, what can I say. :) I know that is weird to even think of the crazy stuff we did back then, but that was life for a few of us where we had to make the best use of the limited resources we had at our disposal. And the boarding food sure did suck! That's when Maggi was our savior and stepped in to save our hungry souls.

Even when travelling within and outside the country, whenever I developed unnatural cravings for familiar, comfort food, there was always Maggi to provide quick sustenance. Though there have been other substitutes such as Wai Wai and Ra Ra, it has been an on and off relationship based on the availability, quite unlike the Maggi bond. The bond with Maggi is that of a constant, faithful companion forever by my side providing me with so much comfort and nourishment whenever I need it. That's why on a Monday morning, I write this ode to Maggi, and whether it's good or bad for me, I really don't care. I will always love you, Maggi!