DUBAI DIARIES | The Biriyani Smile

For those who have ever had a biriyani (or several), you will know that feeling of placing that beautiful scented rice into your mouth. If cooked well, the meat would just melt into your heart and the multitude of flavours makes you want to dance for more. The warmth melts you from head to toe, satiating your senses that you can't help but smile. The person next to you would be fortunate to see that zen filled smile and the feeling spreads infectiously around.

This is the part I love about all our cultures. East, West, North, South or Middle, the one place of truce and hostility put down is when we're gathered around oodles of food that was made for sharing and with love.

From when I can remember, my Dad has loved hosting people and my Mother just cooked. She used to slave away from the day before up to an hour before people came and I used to wonder why she used to bother so much. Why didn't she just order take-out? Nothing a bucket of KFC couldn't suffice even with our restricted budget!

The people came, they ate the food within 10 mins and we would end the night exhausted and with the dishes to clean up. What was the point?

As time passed (and I started growing…inside and out), the focus moved away from the actual 'task' of the Biriyani that she made. The focus came to what I call the 'Biriyani Smile' that was plastered on people's faces as they ate the food that was made with love. The home that was opened to them to sit and laugh for hours. For those few hours, everyone forgot their troubles, their defences and just smiled.

I used to look at disdain at the snotty aunties that used to make comments about certain people's houses and say "Bah! They only ever served water!". The pre-awareness me used to really resent these aunties. But I get now what they were trying to say. What they meant was….

• That home didn't bother about us or they have a grudge.

• They didn't want to bring down their pretenses

• Ultimately, they have no love for us and didn't want us there……for those aunty's cases……maybe. Hehe.

The middle-east calls this gathering of people for a meal within a 'Majlis' with an awesome 'Mandi'. Aussies have BBQs. Malayalees invite you for Biriyanis.

The Biriyani smile is about positivity, fulfilling your senses, being present and in the moment, putting your troubles aside for just that moment. 

There ain't no squabble that a biriyani can't fix. For those in Dubai, you can even order it from anywhere within a 1km radius. (If not, you're not in Dubai.)

Have you been ever seen the Biriyani smile? Have you ever been the generator of that smile on another person's face?