Monday Musing
[ Karyir Riba ]
It will not at all be dramatic to say that while food nourishes the body, good food nourishes the soul. And when it comes to soul food, we can all agree that if there was an award for the most loved soul food, it would most definitely go to our beloved momo.
These beautifully wrapped little dumplings with fillings inside are a delight that can be eaten at any time of the day, and tastes best with some hot and spicy chutney and piping hot soup.
Roing town has been home to many restaurants selling these yummy treats. However, a group of homemakers have changed the momo game in town for everyone. First started by two women, a few others followed suit and the once lonely street near the Roing District Hospital, was brought to life by these women who sell homemade momo in these small shacks lined up on one side of the street.
Come evening and these shacks are thronged by people from all walks of life. From young students to big and burly SUVs, all pack up the street to feast on these much loved delicacy.
Apart from the home-cooked touch, the momo here is pocket-friendly too. While the local restaurants sell their momo for at least a 120-150 rupees per plate, these homemade momos come at rupees hundred a plate and contains a greater number too. What’s more? They don’t charge you for the packing box unlike the restaurants. No wonder these momo aunties, as called lovingly by the townspeople, have gained so much popularity. Their sincerity towards their business adds to their USP. Rain or shine, they are always open to meet the needs of a hungry tummy longing for some fresh hot momo. It is an easy grab and go, but they also give you the option to sit in the shack and enjoy your meal.
How this beautiful food business came into being has an interesting story behind it, a story of how human valour can overcome any difficulties thrown at by life.
Back in 2018-19, frustrated with the nonpayment of salaries by the BSNL for months on end, housewives of two BSNL workers decided that they urgently needed to do something to keep their household running, and especially with the primary motive to keep their children in school. Without any prior experience of earning a livelihood, these two women decided to set shop.
“We tried to sell everything from chana-matar to pani puri to our Assamese pitha in our small makeshift shops but nothing sold enough to even cover our own expense in making these items. That’s when we decided to try our hands at selling momo. I had never even tasted a momo at this point, but somehow was able to prepare it. People would come by, have just one or two from their plate of momo, have only the chutney and soup, pay and leave. This was disheartening. Then, one fine day, a young girl explained to us very lovingly that the way we were making our momo was wrong. She told us how it should actually be done. She was a Godsent indeed. We followed her instructions and with practice started making the momo that is now loved by many,” informed one of the pioneers of these momo shacks.
When the covid hit, they had to shut shop like everyone else. It was a hard time. Things are fine now but competition has increased as other BSNL workers’ wives have also started their own shacks alongside.
“It’s not like we earn a lot from this, especially with so many of us in the business. We only earn enough to meet our daily needs. Our children are getting their education which was our primary motivation to start this business, and so we are happy,” she said.
Sadly, things have not changed much as their husbands are still not getting their salaries. “It gets hard sometimes. We have to skip functions, pujas, and all that because we cannot afford to not open our shack even for one evening. Our husbands and children help us to prepare the ingredients required for the preparation of momo. Everyday it’s chop chop chop onions and roll roll roll the dough for the whole family,” she laughed and said she had to hang the call because she had to join her husband in chopping the onions.
When you are at these shacks you just see a smiling Momo Aunty serving her customers, sharing jokes and talking to them; a husband very supportively bringing in more hot and piping momos from their quarters near the shacks, or handing out the packed momo boxes to the customers waiting in their cars. It seems like a happy couple working together earning a living for their family. Who knew that behind these warm, smiling faces lay so much pain and endurance.
These Momo Aunties are a pure example of where there is will there is way. Instead of being dejected by events in life that leaves you devastated, one should always find a way to come up and rise above all. One should understand that what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. These women and their families have proved exactly that and shown how you can turn the tables even at the worst situation instead of simply giving up and crying over your fate.
So, the next time you feel like life is being unfair to you, just remember how these women who were once solely dependent on their husband’s salaries found the courage to fight against all odds to earn a better living for themselves and their families.