Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Echamma’s cooking was never very good; it would not
contain vegetables and spices in proper proportions. To
Bhagavan her devotion was more tasty than her preparations
and so he never complained, but some who could not relish
the food casually hinted at this now and then while Bhagavan
was cutting vegetables in the kitchen in the early morning
hours. After hearing their complaints repeatedly Bhagavan
said, “I don’t know. If you do not like the food you need not
eat it. I find it quite good and I shall continue to do so.”
Sometime back, she was sending food for about a week
or ten days through someone else because perhaps she was
out of town or not quite well. The cooks one day forgot to
serve the food sent by her and completed serving all other
items of food cooked in the Ashram. Bhagavan who would
usually beckon to others to start eating and would himself
commence doing so, sat silently that day with his left hand
under the chin, and his right hand on the leaf. The people
there sitting in front began to look at one another and those
in the kitchen, or wondering and enquiring in whispers about
the possible reason. Suddenly they remembered that the food
sent by Echamma had not been served and, when they served
it saying, “Oh, we have forgotten,” he gave the formal signal
to the others to eat and he too commenced eating the food.

It is usual for him to eat with greater relish the raw
groundnuts offered to him by a devotee than the highly
seasoned sweets and puddings offered by rich people, just
as Lord Krishna ate with relish the beaten rice handed over
to him by Kuchela.