Cock


                                                                    

Of all the birds, cock is one of the handsomest. Regal in appearance, he struts about like a king. He has a harem of plenty of hens, whom he chases throughout the day, for his amorous desires. The poor hens run about trying to escape him but ultimately surrender to his bullying ways. He is dominant, powerful and does whatever he wishes to do. He is the Casanova of all birds.

I have seen cocks - both cockerel and rooster- in the wild. For those who may not know the difference between cockerel and rooster, I’ll explain.  Rooster is a fully grown adult while cockerel is much younger. (Cock is also a shortened version of cockerel). The cocks that I saw in the wild were junglefowls. They are larger than the domesticated ones. Either the red or the grey junglefowl is considered as an ancestor to the domesticated chicken.

In my ancestral village, I had once, along with friends, hunted the junglefowl with a slingshot. We had then cooked and eaten it and since then, no flesh has tasted better. My grandmother had pet chickens, and among them was a rowdy cock, cockerel, rather, as he was pretty young. I can distinctly recall him, even though, I was nine or ten at that time. He had a brilliant plumage, was noisy, and so full of energy that whenever I set my eyes upon him, he was always running after some hen or the other. Since I was callow at that time, I never could make out why he chased the hens so much.

Cocks are trained to fight and once in Bombay, probably somewhere in Malad or Nalla Sopara, I can’t remember where exactly, I went with a friend of mine to see a cockfighting contest. Under artificial lights, in the dead of the night, two cocks with razor blades attached to their feet, were pitted against each other. And with onlookers shouting and the cock owners egging their respective birds, the bout began. Fed on steroids and special diet to make them aggressive, the cocks like two crazed gladiators fought, until one fell injured badly and bleeding profusely. I am told that such cockfights are banned now.   

Though the cock’s meat is tougher and stringier than the hen’s, it is still delicious. But the castrated cock’s (known as capon) flesh is the best. The cock is castrated for the purpose to make its flesh more flavourful, moist and soft. I have tasted flesh of both cock’s and capon’s and though capon’s is tastier, I prefer the cock’s because it is more natural.

-          NZ

29.7.2019

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Mother named me Haider

My mother named me Haider so said Ali son of Abu Talib to Marhab when he said that his mother had named him Marhab. If only Marhab had recalled, at this juncture, what his mother would tell him when he was a child. ‘My son, you’ll be a great warrior. Your fame would spread throughout the Arab world. But keep in mind one thing. If in any battle you come face to face with a man named Haider, do not fight him. Just lay down your sword.’ If Marhab had paid heed to his mother’s advice, he wouldn’t have met the fate he met with in Khaiber. But he was high on ego; drunk on his strength and fame, he thought, how anyone could fight him. He was Marhab – how anyone could challenge his might? In every battle, Ali always introduced himself as Ali son of Abu Talib. But in Khaiber, he introduced himself as Haider because he was aware of what Marhab’s mother had told Marhab. This is sufficient evidence of Ali’s knowledge of the unknown. If in Khaiber Ali had introduced himself as Ali a...
Read more

The Lady in Red

Yesterday after my morning prayer, I went for my 30- minute walk. My wife did not accompany me because she preferred the warmth of the bed to the cold outside. Usually, she does. I did not take the path that I normally take every day. The road was deserted and not a soul was in sight. I walked briskly, determined to do a certain number of steps within the time that I had. It was dark and the wintry breeze was making me shiver. I thought of the cosiness of my bed and for a moment was tempted to abandon the walk and go back home. But commitment is commitment. So, I kept walking. When I reached the end of the walking trail, I turned left instead of right. I don’t know why I did it. I should have turned right because that’s where the walker’s path continues. On the left is an alley between two high-rise buildings. Before I could turn back, I spotted a lady smoking a cigarette. She was wearing a long, red gown and her lips were painted with blood-red lipstick. Her tired eyes had da...
Read more

Zaidis and Wastis

                                                         Many people believe that Zaidis and Wastis are two separate surnames. The truth is that it isn’t. Zaidis and Wastis hail from a place in Iraq called Wasit. Wasti is actually Wasiti but over time, it became Wasti. They are descended from the fourth Imam Ali bin Hussain, also known as Zain-ul-Abedin. His eldest son’s name was Zaid. Hence the name Zaidi. These people are Sayyeds meaning they can trace their ancestry to the Holy Prophet. In the 11 th century, Sayyid Abul Farah Al Hussaini Al Wasti (son of Syed Daud al Hussaini), came to India from Iraq, with his twelve sons, and most of the Zaidis and Wastis in India and Pakistan are their descendants. Let me clarify one point here. There are Zaidis who are not Wastis. They are those who believe that Zaid and not Mohammad Baqir ...
Read more