I have said enough and more already about my fascination with road trips. The pull of that long stretch of asphalt overpowers me now and then, and I convince my men to go along with me for the ride, and they do, almost always, hapless victims of that wanderlust of mine! The husband gives in because of an underlying sense of guilt - the workaholic that he is, he has neglected us for long with nary a vacation or break of any kind whatsoever, so he thinks "OK, maybe 2 or 3 days on the road is not going to kill me. If I give in now, then maybe she'll shut up for the next few months or so!" Great logic that! The kid thinks the whole idea is basically RETARDED, period! He knows for a fact that being the only child, we're not going to leave him alone at home while we're cruising the road, so he tries his darned best to be sportive about it and comes along anyways, but only because he has to.
It must be said here, that there is an innate magic to being on the road and exploring new, never-before-visited territories that turns even the die hard cynics and skeptics into willing, enthusiastic participants on a road trip. And so it always happens that the husband and the kid get caught up in the whole awesome experience, and have no second thoughts of stopping along on the wayside and jumping out of the car to capture a scenic shot or explore a roadside waterfall or venture off the main road to have a glimpse of a lake tucked farther away inside or wet their feet in a meandering stream or have a playful romp in the snow. This happens quite a lot, trust me, that I have to shepherd them and hurry them back to the car so we can move on towards our destination for the day. With his iPod and enough snacks (read junk food) to last the entire trip, there's no word of complaint from the back seat at all!
Most of the time I take home-cooked food along for the ride, just for the adults. The kid thinks a road trip, into which he has been dragged unwillingly, warrants an unlimited extent of artery-clogging food, and he turns into a ravenous, rapacious eating machine, unmindful of the pounds being packed on. Sanity and good judgement are left behind, and only a good appetite for the bad and unhealthy is taken along on the road trip! Mostly we let him get away with it, with a mental note to whip him into shape after we get back. As for the sane, well-thinking adults, there's nothing to beat idli, millagai podi, and thakkaalli chutney eaten on the beach, or lemon rice or pulliyodharai or thayir saadham with pan-roasted potatoes and assorted vathals and vadaams eaten under the green canopy of the trees. The food tastes extra special when eaten in the great outdoors, bringing out that nomad in us and all the allied romance of wandering away from home.
Well, it's time to be on the road again. More in my next post! :)
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