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Maudiegirl and the von Bloss Kitchen Maudiegirl and the von Bloss Kitchen is the fourth in Carl Muller’s series of books on the Burghers of Sri Lanka. Muller’s series consists of The Jam Fruit Tree (1993), Yakada Yaka, "the steel devil", referring to the coal-fired train engine (1994) and Once Upon a Tender Time (1995).
A Burgher himself, Muller is the winner of the Gratiean Memorial Prize for the best work in English literature by a Sri Lankan for 1993. Muller writes in these semi-fictional, semi-biographic books about the lives of his people. The Burgher community of Sri Lanka emerges, in the tales that he tells, as a race of fun-loving, hard-wearing people, always ready to try a new recipe, a new experience and forever geared up for a celebration. The novels are, in fact, cultural texts rather than mere stories. Read in this light, the otherwise simple novels become more significant, contributing to the understanding of an entire way of life. As an insider, Muller writes with affection as well as a wry understanding that makes his chronicles funny, irreverent and moving. Says Muller about his Burgher series: "The truth of the books was that I celebrated the Burghers. I celebrated their weddings, their funerals, their Christmas feasts, everything. I wanted to show the life that was not being publicly shown to anybody; the real way the Burghers lived. The way they fornicated, the way they died. I did everything possible to show them that they were a unique culture and people who could live together with everybody." Muller himself was the eldest of 13 children. His father was a hard-drinking railway engine driver. He shaped the "Sonnaboy" of his stories on this tough, overwhelming man. Indeed, he draws upon his huge circle of family and friends and casts them in his book. "I thought to myself, I’ll put ’em on record, all of ’em!" Thus, the dysfunctional family in Maudiegirl, the parents, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts are all from within his kin and friends. "There are skeletons in every cupboard. It’s not fair for me to rattle these skeletons about, but if they make a damn good story, then why not?" asks Muller. In this book, Muller goes back and brings forth characters from his favourite family, the von Blosses of his first Burgher book, The Jam Fruit Tree. Maudigirl is the centre of the von Bloss home and hearth. Dictator of the kitchen and her huge family, Maudigirl is a wonderful cook and generously feeds with pride not only to her family but friends, relatives, Church parishioners and poor families that she willingly draws into her life. She has a recipe for everything edible under the sun and if the children catch giant eels that the rest of the Burgher community have no idea what do with, well, they just troop into Maudiegirl’s kitchen and she will demonstrate and teach the "lane people" how to cook eel in several different ways, stewed, fried, even made into a sauce! Food is the predominant essence of the book, sharing space with myriad fascinating people. Even the chapters are named to celebrate food, e.g., Beef Fritters and what will the Baby be, The Making of Dunnyboy and Roast Lamb and The Church Raffle and Maudiegirl’s Pie Stall. There are recipes scattered all over the books and what’s more, with the last chapter that comprises about 70 pages, the book turns into an unadulterated recipe book, titled Grandma’s Recipes. Maudiegirl is of course styled on the author’s own grandmother, and the recipes that he generously shares with the reader, are from her treasure trove. Maudiegirl stirs her magic ladle not just over the food cooking in her kitchen, but equally easily handles domestic issues. She can deal with her grown-up son, Dunnyboy, whose mind is that of a child and who exhibits himself to all the young boys passing by. She empowers a poor widow who is mercilessly subjugated by her cantankerous mother-in-law. Maudiegirl is also not above addressing her son-in-law when he cheats on his wife with the domestic help. Apart from these, the reader will bump into a good-for-nothing uncle, a pedophile on the prowl, high society ladies trying their hands at charity, a priest with home-grown wisdom and many other lovable, boisterous characters. All in all, Maudiegirl is a boisterous romp with a large and lively Burgher family. It’s the greatest tribute that Muller could have paid to his grandmother!
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The Burghers were the
descendents from the Dutch, the Portuguese, the British and other
foreigners who arrived in Sri Lanka and cohabited with the local
inhabitants. The Burghers share a common culture rather than a common
background. In a country that was primarily Sinhalese and Buddhist, they
were English-speaking Christians and a minority group. They felt
superior to the natives but were, in the final analysis, on the margins
of society.