New Delhi, Oct. 4 -- When I was a kid, the aroma of cashews sizzling in ghee were always a sign of something special. It could mean kesari, payasam, chakkara pongal or, on rare occasions, a savoury dish like venn pongal. Everyday upma would never see such treatment. A friend once told me that when his wife garnished upma with cashews, and even pressed it into neat cup shapes on the plate, he knew important guests were expected-because that kind of effort was not for the family. My father, who loved cashews in food, would joke that in any dish, all the cashews mysteriously found their way to the plate of one lucky person, while the rest of us made do with one or two stray pieces. And then there were the Goa trips-when it was mandatory for ...