'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