My Life Memoirs-22

My Life Memoirs-22

My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories

-Venigalla Komala  

40. Americans Love Corn

Corn has a history that goes back  several  thousand years. It thrived and eventually found its way to the center of American diet and- America is now the largest producer and consumer of corn.

Corn is inexpensive. Corn is in the sodas Americans drink, it is in the potato chips they love so much, it is in salads, sauces, French Fries, baked goods, breakfast cereal, cheese, in all poultry and fish as- their feed contains corn. It is easier to name foods that  do not contain corn. Corn will always be available and cheap because it grows everywhere in the world.

There are many types of corn but I mention only vastly used ones. Flint Corn is used for their popcorn. Sweet corn is very much liked as well. In India too, they started liking sweet corn but grow in a limited way. Dent corn or field corn is grown on a very large scale and used by almost all the people. It is in almost every product bought in the super market these days.

Once corn was considered as poor people’s food. But today it is every body’s food.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus was said to have carried corn-grain along with him, but he didn’t carry information on how to process it- they say. He was fascinated by corn when he travelled in the New World. Europeans do not like corn as much as Americans do,- I have heard.

Why I brought up the topic of corn is because I am very fond of corn. We do eat corn in India but not as part of our daily food. I love sweet corn, corn on the cob, baked, boiled and pop-corn. My husband doesn’t eat it at all and he makes fun of me saying I have- an ‘Iron (hard) Taste’. I admit I am fond of corn.

41.Chloe- Our Pet

Naveena, Hemanth and Rahul brought home 6- week old puppy from a dog breeder in Pennsylvania. She is beautiful, with big expressive eyes.

Initially , I was worried how to take care of her. We in India never had pets though Naveena and Raju wanted to  have a cat or a dog as a pet. We discouraged them then saying that no one was at home to take care of the pet as they went to school and we went to work- They  remained  really disappointed with our decision.

But Naveena decided to bring this puppy and- her long time wish is now fulfilled. The first week the puppy was here, our  next door friend Carol came to help us, taking the puppy for a short walk and playing with her for a while. Chloe loves her.

Naveena wanted to call the puppy- Ginger. But Rahul named it Chloe. I began to like Chloe slowly as I began to take care of her- give her food, play with her using her many toys.

Chloe is very fond of Naveena. She is her first favorite, though she is equally fond of Hemanth, Rohit, Rahul as well as Innaiah. She loves to go on long walks. Naveena takes her out early morning and in the evening when she returns from work. Recently Innaiah is also taking her out on short walks. She greets her people lovingly when they come back home. She has an amazing sense of smell. When Naveena’s car enters the property she knows and runs down to the door to welcome her.

I think Chloe understands everything we say. She talks through her eyes and asks me questions through her eyes.

She is fond of Raju and his family. I feel she understands the relationship between  Naveena and Raju by smell.  Leila and Zola pay a lot of attention to her when they visit and, take her out on walks.

Chloe barks at big dogs if she sees them walking with their ownerseven though, those big dogs are friendly. But Chloe barks like a ‘Surmakhan, like a big boss.’

Chloe welcomes all the guests by touching them with her paws. She likes to play with little kids and feels unhappy when the guests leave.

Chloe likes home- cooked chicken legs with a pinch of salt. Some days, she relishes her food and some days she turns her back on it. Once in a while, she drinks milk. If she does not eat, I get worried as to why she is not eating.  Naveena often tells me to let her be and that,if she is hungry she will eat.

If she senses that we are sick she doesn’t leave our bed side until we recover. She was with me when I went through my cataract surgery for  both eyes. She stayed with me until after the bandage was removed. She is so loving, so friendly.

She has turned three on 6th July 2015. We celebrated her birthday with new toys, special food and new bowls for her food and water. We are all fond of her. She is growing happily in the midst of her loved ones. She is taken for regular grooming and medical checkup. We try to give her healthy food and keep her clean and happy. We like her to join us in all our pictures on special occasions. She  likes car rides too looking at the world through the windows.

I wish Chloe a happy, healthy long life. She is so adorable.

*****

(To be continued-)