Summary

The author describes a transformative experience of tasting a traditional Indian sweet, Kheer Kodombo, which leads to an unexpected and delightful culinary discovery.

Abstract

The narrative begins with the author's initial encounter with Kheer Kodombo, a seemingly ordinary sweet that belies its extraordinary taste. Initially hesitant, the author is taken by surprise as the sweet's flavors unfold, leading to an addictive experience that alters their perception of the social gathering they are attending. The story unfolds with the author's growing infatuation with the sweet, cleverly navigating social interactions to learn its name, and ultimately revealing the sweet's identity as Kheer Kodombo. The author concludes by acknowledging the prompt from Suntonu Bhadra and tags other poets for continuity in a related story.

Opinions

The author expresses skepticism about trying the sweet, thinking one would suffice out of politeness.
Upon tasting, the sweet exceeds expectations, causing a moment of shock followed by delight due to its "juicy goodness."
The author becomes increasingly captivated by the sweet, consuming several and attempting to mask their newfound obsession through social engagement.
There is a sense of embarrassment about the possibility of being judged for indulging too much, which leads to the author's strategic questioning about the sweet's name.
The discovery of the sweet's name, Kheer Kodombo, is presented as a moment of satisfaction and relief.
The author implies that the experience with Kheer Kodombo has left an indelible impression, suggesting a lasting love for the sweet.

Love At First Taste

Beware, once you try this you’ll never be the same again

It’s your first time. You don’t quite know what to expect.

It looks innocuous enough.

A round white ball, sprinkled with white toppings.

You have visions of flaky sweetness, possibly coating your palate.

One will be quite enough, you think. And only because it will be impolite to not try one.

So you take the smallest one you can find. And give it one ginger bite.

It takes a couple of seconds to hit you. A gush of juicy goodness hits you like the onset of sudden summer tropical rain.

And you pause. Shocked. Delighted.

The unexpectedness of that ordinary flaky looking white ball, secretly housing a life changing experience.

You look around the room. No one’s noticed you.

You edge your chair closer to the table with the plate of sweets.

The second one you eat fast, almost expecting to not like it as much as the first.

By the end of the third, you are hooked.

You are looking at your parents’ friends, to whose house you were dragged much against your will, in a new light.

You are scared to ask for the name of the sweet, given that it will be quite clear you have downed more than your fair share of the sweets.

So you try a variety of distractions.

You suddenly become very social, and regale the hosts with interesting and funny stories. You encourage them to give you a tour of the house. You bring the conversation around to your travels, and then cleverly, to the sweets you have sampled in your journeys.

And therein you slip in the question — what is the white sweet called?

They answer: Kheer Kodombo.

And you breathe out, a long sigh.

You’ll never fall out of love again.

Note I couldn’t find a usable picture of the sweet for inclusion in this post, but you can see pictures here.

Thanks to Suntonu Bhadra’s prompt, in the story below. Also tagging the same poets he tagged, for continuity: Amy Marley, Carolyn Riker, Dennett, James G Brennan, Priyanka Srivastava, Timothy Key, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Riku Arikiri 🕊️.

Sweetened Love

GiaB prompt #1 Confectionery

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