Rusgulla Cheeks
On Indian sweets
He raised his small, sticky arms above his head and screamed “YALLAH” as loud as his voice would allow. My dad at three years old, sat on a cool tile floor with syrup dripping from his tiny fists. In either hand, a milky white ball, a rasgulla. He loves to tell this story.
Rasgullas are sweet spongy things with a mysterious history. Many regions of India try to claim their origin story. They went from being a special occasion dessert to being so beloved that people have tried to pass them off as healthy. Much like other Indian desserts they are bold in their sweetness, they glisten, served in generous portions. Their favour is rivalled only by the glorious rasmalai, made of saffron threads, a galaxy of pistachio, rosewater, and the heaviest cream.
After I was born in London on Christmas Day, 1987 my dad developed a fondness for calling me “rasgulla cheeks.” He was twenty-eight and I was a chubby first born, with a pale round face and Sonic the Hedgehog hair on end. He often recalls that day at the hospital — I looked around at his sister, brother, and parents with a look that said, “who the hell are these people?” He tells this to me while playing my first cries out loud. He recorded them on a cassette tape.
My dad sat on that tile floor in 1960’s Chittagong, Bangladesh. He was raised by ayahs there and then…
