Barbecue memories

I had come to visit my cousin...

She had been working in Chennai for the last two years. She was tired of taking orders from somebody else, so she quit, to start something of her own.

She was at home, basically taking time off, trying to figure out what she wanted in life.

I was going through a very similar phase in my life... exploring various options ...trying to find out where I wanted to be in life.

So, I found a natural ally in my quest, in her :)

We were sitting around ...getting bored

And then, my uncle said, he had bought a barbeque - oven a few weeks back and he hadn't even opened the case.

We had an idea!!
Why not have a barbeque picnic?

Suddenly, we were a flurry of activity :)

Uncle bought chicken ...we cut it into small pieces and sprinkled lemon juice and salt on it ...then we made the barbecue paste with ginger, garlic and masala. We spread the paste on the chicken pieces and kept it in the fridge.

We still had to commission the oven... it came with a detailed instruction book, that said where the tiniest screw went ...we assembled it part by part ...and viola!! ...it was a beauty :)

After the pieces had been marinated long enough, we set up the oven outdoor...

It had to be lighted ...that was the toughest part :)
We filled it with charcoal, poured kerosene over it and lighted it with a matchstick ...but the fire died out when the kerosene was burnt up and the charcoal was as cold as ever ... so we continued the process... fanned the flames... added dried coconut shells which was more easily inflammable... we got  plastic pipes to blow into it ...

Then I realised how hard it must have been for our grandmothers to light a kitchen fire with firewood before the advent of gas and electric stoves...

But once it was lighted, it was a cakewalk!! The burning red charcoal was a beauty to watch..

We had a fun few hours of barbecuing :) ..it was a family picnic like I have never had in my life... just what we needed to cheer us up :)