A recipe for honest feedback

(that your friend asked for but you don’t wish to hurt their feelings)

Take one harsh truth

ripe, tangy and bitter.

Break it gently.

Temper it with water,

not too much

but enough to

soften it slightly.

Coat it with a pinch of sugar

a sweetness that’ll

balance the sharp acidity of the truth.

Add potatoes,

everyone likes potatoes.

Let it simmer,

for an hour or a day

or more- you’ll know.

Fry it crisp and golden,

with two spoons of

pure, cold-pressed, unadulterated concern.

Wrap it in white lies

No, sorry, peel off the white lies,

this is no good.

Serve it cold,

with a note that says

“You asked.”

(Illustration by Harshita Borah for Soup)