In 1990 most of us were very new in Sahaj. We didn’t know much about protocol. In preparation for Shri Mataji’s visit, our small collective decided to cater for everyone at the centre, which was also the leader’s house, where Shri Mataji was going to stay. Luckily a few Australians came a few days earlier to help and guide us. They advised us that at least the food for Shri Mataji should be cooked by the yoginis.
There were about eight yoginis in our collective and we held a quick meeting. We didn’t know if Shri Mataji was a vegetarian or not. After some discussion, we decided each yogini would take care of one meal and those who liked could add on one dish to give variety. The first meal would be lunch, since Shri Mataji was arriving from India around noon. Who would cook the first meal? Nobody volunteered. Maybe we were all afraid we might make mistakes. In the end I volunteered. ‘What shall I cook? Well, I’m a Malaysian Chinese and it is better to cook what I’m familiar with,’ I thought. I cooked several Chinese dishes at home and brought them to the centre.
When Shri Mataji arrived, She only had some tea, talked to the leader for a while and went upstairs. By evening, Shri Mataji had not asked for lunch and we telephoned the yoginis not to prepare dinner since lunch had not been served yet. That evening Shri Mataji went for the first public programme at the Girl Guides Hall in Brickfields. After returning to the house, Shri Mataji said She would like to have food. We asked what food She would like.
‘Chinese food,’ She replied.
And there was all the Chinese food in the kitchen, downstairs! The food was served in the sitting room upstairs, one course at a time. Shri Mataji asked what it was called, or what was in that dish or how it was cooked.
‘Send the cook up,’ someone said, after the questions and answers were passed upstairs and downstairs a few times. I was a bit nervous but Shri Mataji smiled and asked if I had cooked all the food. I pointed to the ones I cooked and She asked more questions about them. Then She talked about the Chinese food that She and Sir CP had in Beijing. It turned out that Shri Mataji enjoyed Chinese food because it is very light. Subsequently, we served Her mainly Chinese food, which is not spicy-hot.
It is such an honour and pleasure to be allowed to cook for Our Divine Mother especially when my cooking is just that of an ordinary housewife. Shri Mataji was very forgiving and made me very shy when She thanked me for cooking for Her.
KT Tan