For the love of Maggi...

I think almost all the Maggi lovers will mark the date and time of the return of Maggi. After all the hoopla around the ban happening from about 5-6 months, Maggi has finally come back like a boss in full confidence, flanked by its fans. Snapdeal invited Maggi with much love by packing 12 packs of maggi with freebies and a 2016 year calendar. I felt I was insane to register myself for the Maggi 2 minute Masala noodle Welcome kit sale but once I received it , I felt glad and nostalgic. Nestle's Maggi did create ripples with it's come back. 

Maggi is back :P Image source : here

image source: Here

Though not all, atleast 60- 70 % of Indians have a story associated with Maggi. The ads are touching and real coz many people have such emotional bonding with Maggi. Before you frown, let me share my Maggi experiences and journey with Maggi so far :)

It was in school when I first tasted Maggi Noodles brought by an aunt from Bombay. I had my introduction to Maggi during one of those summer vacations and I didnt become much of a fan then. Even in the later years Maggi was not frequently consumed at our home as we preferred traditional breakfasts / foods like idli, dosa, bambino semiya or many more to Maggi. Slowly Maggi seeped in to our minds as it was easier, tastier and was fun too. It used to be fun to dig your fork and roll your noodle around it and eat with a slurp sound and it is fun even now :) I realized the importance of Maggi in my life only when I started living away from home.

Maggi is a blessing to all those like me who cannot cook but want to eat something which doesnt taste like hostel food (I claim that I can cook now though Maggi is the only thing I can cook with confidence ;) ) . Hostel food usually is a riot of colors which all taste the same. There are many pale yellow liquids of different texture. You can name them only after tasting them. Sometimes it is rasam , sometimes sambar and most of the times it comprises of different kinds of Dals! Some deep fried Indian curry which is brick reddish or brownish in shade and totally not eye pleasing is also served. A white curd, a red pickle , burnt paapad or fryums, a boiled egg or a bowl of oily chicken (which actually used to be heavenly after a week's torture) usually are part of the menu. Whenever my taste buds used to become thick and fail to serve their duty, I used to find my peace in this magical yellow packet with a taste maker.

It doesn't exactly take two minutes to make and I never complained for whatever time was spent in making maggi, because by the end of it , it always pleases all my senses :)

Image source : here

We at hostel used to feel like master chefs when ever we invaded the kitchen with Maggi packets in hand. The hostel cook and his staff politely used to allow us to use the utensils and all the ingredients. There are different Indian-versions and variations of Maggi. Some make it with egg, some with boiled chicken, some with onions, tomatoes and peas and some like it just plain. As there always is a problem of a mixed crowd of vegetarians and non-vegetarians we mostly used to cook it with veggies and matar . The end result may not be as beautiful as in the ads but it was delicious enough to soothe our taste buds and get our senses back! Like this, Maggi became a forever warm friend who used to bring smiles during the dull, mundane hostel life. The partnership with Maggi only became strong with passing months and years. Different people want it differently. Some like it in a watery texture, some prefer it semi solid and some want it to be dry. Maggi is wonderful at marketing as it keeps coming up with varieties of maggi for various consumers. For health conscious public, maggi introduced vegetable atta noodles and oats maggi. Now whether they are actually healthy or not is an open question but the only answerable question is that every living being on planet can easily make maggi. If you train your pet it can make maggi too :-) . This makes maggi the most sought out food and the most favorite food for people living away from home!

During many instances Maggi came to my rescue and so many encounters with maggi are forever memorable. Some are listed below!

1.) I still remember all those lazy days and nights in Infosys Mysore Training Center spent with Friends and Maggi. I do miss those long mid night talks and violation of the rules by boiling Maggie in the kettle. The fun quotient of training days increased due to the boiled maggi in rooms and spending endless nights with friends sharing life goals, horror stories and love stories :P

2.) I remember the day I had high fever and couldn't eat any thing till 3 A.M. in the morning and was suddenly hungry when the soupy noodles brought back life in my eyes and I slept peacefully much to the bliss of my mom

3.) My husband's maggi recipe is super hit at my place. The one made with scrambled egg and onions. A sunday which starts with that maggi can never go wrong. 

4.)  Most memorable maggi incident was when we went to Rohtang Pass , a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas (Source: wiki). When every one was suffering from Acute mountain sickness and suffering from headaches and falling sick , Maggi and a hot piping chai felt like elixirs of life  .A plate of steaming maggi was the only solace when our empty stomachs were growling! There used to be a maggi ad in mountains which exactly matches the scene we were in that day with tired bodies and sick faces!

Rohtang pass vaali Maggi

5.) Mountains , hillstations, rains, sleepy towns and maggi go hand in hand. You can find a maggi stalls in any quaint little town. Maggi is the quickest choice of food during your long journeys . I found solace in Maggi during my trips to Nainital, Munnar and many other places

There are many more anecdotes which can be narrated here, that describe my fondness for maggi but I will stop here and end the post on a happy note , with the pictures of my snapdeal package and a funny video made by some fans on FB. Now all those who have removed cooking, under their hobbies, can add it back in their biodata as Maggi is back ;) There were many whats app jokes floating around during the ban and now too which are outright hilarious- 

Boy- I Love u…

Gal – but I don’t love you…

Boy – agar kal tum ne mujhe i love you nahi kaha to…

Gal – to kya karo ge? 

boy – to main Maggie kha k apni jaan de dunga…
 

(A boy is threatening a girl that he will give up his life by eating maggi if she doesn't accept his proposal)

Snapdeal Welcome package - Quite impressive

                               
PS: My breakfast today was Maggi which gave rise to this post

Maggi might be not the healthy choice of food . It might be having Lead but it has not lead to any serious consequences so far and I hope it continues to please our palates and hearts. This post is dedicated to all those students, people staying away from home and each and everyone who survived on it many a times!

Originally published at ViewsPaper