Prologue:
Last post in this series was on 27-06-2015. That was almost weekly for more than two years. This one will hopefully be published on 01-11-2015. I can't guarantee it now, as I have only just started typing this out. Let's see where this takes us.
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I can blame my absence here on a lot of things - the faulty keyboard of my laptop, which ignores many of my touches; the fact that I got married and that the responsibilities and the fun have had me distracted enough to be in a different world altogether; the closer to truth reason would be the 6 days a week of working in a service sector; or a combination of one and all.
What I used to write about were things which amused me, which surprised me - which would eventually make me think about how I would describe it - the thing or the experience - to another person. Lately, even though I still do get my fair share of amusement and surprises, the time I require to think - I prefer calling the process 'idea rumination' - has been missing. This past week or so, I carved out time from doing other stuff to do the 'idea rumination'. And the result is now before you.
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1. When would you feel proud and happy on seeing a bill of Rs.1562/-??
I found out when I would last week. The venue was the nearby supermarket and the occasion was the monthly grocery purchase. Till I was 10 or so, I used to accompany my parents for our monthly grocery purchase. Once it became hard to fit me, my brother, our parents and the ration into one two wheeler, I was the one who had to make way. And from that day, I wanted to do my own shopping.
And on the said day, as I watched the cashier take my ATM card for making the payment, I realized that I was doing my own shopping. Being part of the spoon fed generation, it takes moments like these for one to realize that he/she has grown up to what he/she always wanted to be - a grown up.
2. A lot can be said by the way you spend 100 rupees.
There was a time, some 4 years back, when I would walk to the store near our flat in Gurgaon. Then I would purchase, one packet Lays, one packet Haldirams Masala Peanuts, one Dairy Milk and one bottle of Coco Cola - all amounting to a hundred rupees. And these would be accompaniments with which I would sit down to watch the weekend football action.
Yesterday, I brought 5kg of orange for a hundred rupees. How time changes a man.
3. Wholesale or Retail
Continuing with the oranges story, it was written at the shop that Rs.100 could buy you 5 kg of Orange. So, I gave him 60 rupees and asked him to give me just 3kgs. He asked for Rs.15 more. He then went on to give me the existing rates at the shop, both retail and wholesale.
1kg - Rs.30
2kg - Rs.50
3kg - Rs.75
5kg - Rs.100
Interestingly, he refused to sell 4kg of orange. He must have some serious beef with the number 4.
4. Of Biriyanis, Momos, Shawarmas and ChiPoCus.
First of all, let me apply for a bail - I am not a foodie in any sense of it. So, my perception of food and its taste might not agree with the general opinion.
a. First up is Biriyanis. No biriyani like Hyderabadi Biriyani, and no place to have a biriyani like Hyderabad. Other than the usual goto places like Paradise, we also visited one restaurant called Dine Hill at Banjara Hills. Whatever you order will be provided in one big plate and everyone has to eat from it. They said it's the custom of the Mughals. Not recommended if you are a hygiene freak.
b. Momos occupy a soft spot in my tummy. In Gurgaon, we used to visit the local momo shop after a day's work, and would have a plate having 10 Momos, and an egg roll for 50 bucks. Here in Kochi, 5 Momos costs you a hundred bucks without the taste or appeal. Well, that was the case until we found BIG FAT MOMOS. They serve you a 10 piece delicious Momo dish with delicious accompaniments for Rs.90. And the service is endearing.
c. Shawarmas were the rage in Thiruvananthapuram, until one innocent man fell prey to cheap tactics used by some restaurant. They had used spoiled meat pieces, the person got food poisoning, he was traveling - and a host of other factors combined to result in death. The immediate effect was a total informal ban on Shawarmas in the city. After about 3 years, they are slowly making their way back in the city. And in Kochi, we have found SLICE OF SPICE, who make one of the best plate shawarmas in town - it's both delicious and filling.
d. Now, ChiPoCu is not a well known dish. That's because it was invented by my wifey to sate my peculiar taste preferences. ChiPoCu is Chilly Potato Cubes. Even though the concept and execution is simple, I am yet to find anything as tasty as that.
5. Opinions
Talking of my opinions, I wrote this piece on May 16th, 2014 - soon after the national election results were declared. I had mentioned in the post that the new government has a set of problems that it has to tackle, and a section of the society that it has to convince. 534 days later, earlier today, I took a second read of the same, and have drawn up my own verdict. I would like to know yours.
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With the declaration of 2nd and 4th Saturday as holidays for bank, my argument that I don't have a 5 day week like before has lost half of it's credibility. And I don't know if this piece is the restart, or just another blip on the cardiometer for the observers to realize that this blog hasn't given up it's ghost yet. We'll find out in the coming weeks.
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So, that's all for this week then.
Have a great weekend!!
'til next week.
