Once there was a man had passed by his mother-in-law’s village a few months after his marriage. He visited her and dined at his mother-in-law’s place. She served him a rice flour dumpling filled with shredded coconut cooked in jiggery and cardamom. He loved it so much that he asked her what it was called.
The mother-in-law quiet pleased at her son-in-law’s praise explained to him, ‘Oh! Son it is called Kohzhukatai and my daughter knows how to make them.’
Son-in-law is overjoyed at that piece of information. He memorized the name of the dumpling and repeated it to himself all the way to his home in the next village.
Since it was the monsoon he encountered a huge puddle which he had to jump across. When he jumped across he forgot to recite the name of the dumpling and land across the puddle calling out a gibberish exclamation ‘Atrimaku’.
This exclamation he repeated to himself all the way to his home. He then ordered his wife to make the dumpling called ‘Atrimaku’. Much to his wife’s confusion and distress the wife mentions that she was unable to understand what she had to prepare for him. She explained that she had never heard of such a dish. Her repeated refusal to prepare the dish aggravated the husband’s anger.
Since his mother-in-law had specifically mentioned that his wife knew how to make them he was enraged that his wife should play with his sentiments. As he was well-known in those parts as a violent person, he physically abused his wife, leaving her totally bruised.
The neighbor who came over to help the wife reprimanded him for bruising her like the sweet dumplings. On hearing the name of the dumpling the son-in-law recognized it. So eventually when the confusion was cleared his wife made him some of the sweet dumpling that he craved and restored peace in the household.
Itinerant Storyteller 