A new Masterchef Challenge

A grandmother and her granddaughter, a 6 year old

Were chatting on the phone, weekly ritual I am told,

Chocolate ganache, smoked salmon, were some words I heard,

Masterchef recipes were being carefully unfurled,

But guess who the teacher was, teaching these recipes new?

It was the 6 year old Masterchef fan armed with her world food view.

Why at her age I didn’t know what cooking meant!

But these Masterchef kids are already hell-bent,

On testing us poor moms with ‘Invention tests’ from hell,

And if we don’t live up to the challenge, well, well, well…

Try offering them cornflakes, there’ll be demand for pancake,

And forget plain old milk, better whip up a strawberry milkshake.

So dal chawal is boring now, they want Spaghetti Bolognese,

And for extra dressing, they might just ask for parmesan cheese

Of barramundi cutlets and grilled lamb chops, these lil’ masterchefs dream,

Or perhaps an apple strudel and pistachio crumble topped with cream.

Texture, flavor, acidity and balance, they want it all,

Their plating standards would drive Andy and Mindy up the wall.

Imagine Masterchef 2030, when these kids compete,

Why, just watching that would be some Master Feat.

George, Gary and Matt you’d better beware,

And get ready to lose not some but all your hair.

In case you are still wondering, this 6 year old is my daughter and the grandmother is my mother whose definition of gourmet cooking would be a plate of Bengali style 'kosha mangsho' and 'luchi' (mutton curry and puri), never mind what the occasion is or who the guests are or how many times they have eaten it before:)