Use your hands to break the block of noodles into four pieces and put the noodles and the flavoring into a pan of 225 ml boiling water. That was the first time I looked at the instructions on the back of the Maggi Noodles packaging though I have had Maggi for the last 10 years of my life. I didn’t look at the instructions because I didn’t know how to make Maggi, I looked at it because I was curious how people are supposed to make the noodles. Guesstimating and adding random spices is part of my process in making Maggi when my mom isn’t home to make it for me; I do everything as I see fit, but the result of Maggi never fails.
A 2-minute process turns into a 10-minute process when my mom makes me Maggi when I am in my craving time late at night doing my high school last-minute submissions. The prepackaged flavoring? My mom’s never heard of it. The instructions? My mom’s never heard of that either. Though Maggi and even other foods which come in a package, my mom never once looks at the instructions and makes a new astounding creation. Every time I take a break from my homework and sit on the cold marble counter next to my mom and the stove in the kitchen, this 10-minute process is never always the same. Why would my mom add prepackaged Indian flavoring to the Maggi when she can utilize her many Lazy Susans and pantries full of Indian spices no one has ever heard of? Why would my mom even think about limiting herself on the number of extra things to add to the noodles like chopped-up eggs, ground chicken, or whatever Indian curry she made that day for the family? The possibilities are endless when it comes to Maggi and you know, for a fact, you are in for an adventure and mystery when you take the first bite of Maggi my mom makes. A new flavor is discovered each time I have Maggi; sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, sometimes tangy, sometimes too strong I can’t finish but still very good.
Now, as I, for the first time, open this obnoxiously loud packaging of Maggi by myself for the first time as my mom is out of state, I think about how this is the only “Indian” food I know how to make. So many years after seeing my mom making Maggi, you would think I would be able to make Maggi on my own, but I simply can’t. I fold and use the instructions for the first time. My imagination is not like my mom’s imagination. The possibilities are not endless. The pantry goes unused and the prepackaged flavoring goes into the 225 ml of boiling water. I look at the Maggi as I stir the four pieces of the broken blocks into the flavoring. 2 minutes go by, and I put my finished Maggi in my bowl and try a bite expecting greatness. For the first time ever, I tried Maggi the way other people eat it; I liked my mom’s version better.
I relate to my mom not using the instructions, even if it turns out not so great every single time, she always likes to create new recipes from her mind. Also, I agree, Maggi tastes the best when your mom makes it!
Your essay is good! Homemade stuff is much better than pre-packages foods.