'Krismon', 'Krismom' or 'supermom'

'Krismon', 'Krismom' or 'supermom'

JAKARTA (JP): "Today we are having chicken corn casserole
without the corn, French onion soup without the onion or there's
pizza without the melted cheese on top," announced a friend at
the dinner table.

As the children stared wide-eyed in a protoplasmic stupor at
the choice, the five-year-old asked pertly, "How come?"

"Well, because the corn is imported and Rp 36,550/kg; onions
have quadrupled in price and the imported mozzarella has had
quintuplets" the mother replied with self-righteous indignation
as if daring anyone to a duel.

Not long ago I remember her complaining: "Life as a mother and
wife? It's such a boring routine. We need more adventure in our
lives." And then came the monetary crisis and that made her dream
come true.

Without the slightest provocation the moms of today find
themselves streaming into this monologue of skyrocketing food
prices as fast as the tumbling numbers on the stock market's
digital screens. With food prices having risen into the
stratosphere in so short a time, it is only natural it is the
hottest topic of discussion at every women's gathering.

A friend says she remembers when a kilogram of onions was Rp
2,300 and now, before anyone could pile a kilogram onto the
scales, the vendors had changed the price to a five-figure number
which is too vulgar to mention. For women who are mainly the
budget planners, it has become a white-collar job to juggle the
budget and get decent meals on the table.

Today, most women have had to accept this challenge of
becoming "Kris-moms" or "kris-mon" mothers involuntarily. Looking
through a bookstore once I came across an acquaintance who was
looking for a unique cookery book -- one that taught how to
disguise dishes rather than cook them in the first place.

What an excellent idea! Wash that leftover gravy chicken,
smother it in pepper sauce, and give it a second life. This is
what super-moms do.

It opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at my
leftovers. Where once I coaxed the family to finish up so that
there would be no scraps left, I began to look forward to my
leftovers so that I could try some new way serve them again.

I know the kind of mother who used to spend her day preparing
dishes to literally woo their children's taste buds. They might
have sought psychiatric help to get to know their family's
stomach acids better.

However, more than a year into the monetary crisis, these
householders or super-moms are facing a somewhat less sympathetic
audience. Their sine qua non meals and their fervent monologues
on the high price of food and how impossible it is becoming to
maintain the standard of dining they once enjoyed are testing the
patience of disgruntled diners young and old. This has made the
householder's task even more difficult and ungratifying.

But the very idea of paying four times the amount for a small
ingredient is enough to give rise to a generation of new health-
conscious mothers.

Here are a few examples you are likely to hear, if they are
not already regular "words of wisdom".

Mothers who say: "Nah! You will get indigestion if you put a
carton of cream in the Creamy chicken. Forget the cream and let's
eat light food," mean: "The price of a carton of cream has gone
up as many times as my weight since we got married."

Mother's who say: "No ice cream -- You'll get sick." (The
price of ice cream has shot up too and if you get a sore throat,
the price of medicine will cut ours.)

Wives who say: "Less meat and more vegetables -- You want to
keep your arteries open, don't you?" (Vegetables cost less) or:
"No fried stuff -- watch your cholesterol." (Oil is scarce.)

Mothers who say, "Let's not see the highest Oscar-winning
movie Titanic. Let's spend some quality family time enriching
ourselves culturally and watch tari tarian (Indonesian
traditional dances) on TVRI." (Movie tickets for the whole family
cost as much as a month's supply of fresh fruit.)

-- Pavan Kapoor