Friday, January 28, 2005
But... it is included!
"Do you want Cucumber Salad or Spicy Potato Salad with your Veggie Wrap, sir?".
I get asked this question every time I go to my favorite Desi fast food place in Dallas. My reflex response to this question used to be "Well, who the heck really cares, just give me the darn wrap". Oh well, after hearing the usual "But sir it is included with the wrap" reply a few times, I have softened up and invariably end up munching the actually not-spicy-at-all Potato salad or the very mundane Cucumber salad with the oh, so delicious veggie wrap.
"It is included, sir" also rears its head when I am traveling. For instance on more than one occasion I have been on flights in India which are so short in duration. For example, the 40 minute Mumbai-Baroda flight. Take the 10 minute for take off and 10 minute for landing out of that and the flight attendants have 20 minutes to get the meal service out of the way.
Never mind the fact that my sister in Mumbai has just fed me my evening snack and my Mom will have a hearty meal waiting for me in a short while, when the flight attendant comes around and asks "Veg or Non-Veg, sir?", I invariably co-operate in pulling off yet another "feed everyone in 20 minutes" routine. Hey, but what the heck - it is included.
There is definitely something about food that comes as part of something else you have paid for. It is like you feel, you've earned it. I mean honestly, how many people have you seen refuse an Airline meal? I have seen very few. If you're asleep when the meal service came out, you almost feel left out when you wake up and see everyone else with plates on their tray tables.
I had to get my Multiple entry visa to the US stamped again in January when I was in Mumbai. I had availed of the "lounge facility" by paying an extra Rs. 150. The facility included a place to sit before the interview, a locker to put your stuff, a bus ride to the American consulate with a jump in the queue there and of course a choice of Tea/Coffee and Sandwich/Samosa.
I was about an hour early for my 11 am appointment. As I took a seat and awaited my batch to be called out, I heard the officer calling out the 10 am folks to proceed. "But, what about 9 am sir", a voice shouted out to him. It was the guy in a brown shirt who had just entered the lounge. The officer looked at the guy strangely and asked him to cut the queue and come with him since he was already an hour late and there was a chance that the consulate would not admit him. It could take weeks before he could apply again, if he didn't get there pronto.
"Wait 5 mins, sir", the guy with the 9 am appointment said to the astonished officer. Before the officer could react, he quickly grabbed himself a Samosa and a Chai.
But, of course. It was included.
I get asked this question every time I go to my favorite Desi fast food place in Dallas. My reflex response to this question used to be "Well, who the heck really cares, just give me the darn wrap". Oh well, after hearing the usual "But sir it is included with the wrap" reply a few times, I have softened up and invariably end up munching the actually not-spicy-at-all Potato salad or the very mundane Cucumber salad with the oh, so delicious veggie wrap.
"It is included, sir" also rears its head when I am traveling. For instance on more than one occasion I have been on flights in India which are so short in duration. For example, the 40 minute Mumbai-Baroda flight. Take the 10 minute for take off and 10 minute for landing out of that and the flight attendants have 20 minutes to get the meal service out of the way.
Never mind the fact that my sister in Mumbai has just fed me my evening snack and my Mom will have a hearty meal waiting for me in a short while, when the flight attendant comes around and asks "Veg or Non-Veg, sir?", I invariably co-operate in pulling off yet another "feed everyone in 20 minutes" routine. Hey, but what the heck - it is included.
There is definitely something about food that comes as part of something else you have paid for. It is like you feel, you've earned it. I mean honestly, how many people have you seen refuse an Airline meal? I have seen very few. If you're asleep when the meal service came out, you almost feel left out when you wake up and see everyone else with plates on their tray tables.
I had to get my Multiple entry visa to the US stamped again in January when I was in Mumbai. I had availed of the "lounge facility" by paying an extra Rs. 150. The facility included a place to sit before the interview, a locker to put your stuff, a bus ride to the American consulate with a jump in the queue there and of course a choice of Tea/Coffee and Sandwich/Samosa.
I was about an hour early for my 11 am appointment. As I took a seat and awaited my batch to be called out, I heard the officer calling out the 10 am folks to proceed. "But, what about 9 am sir", a voice shouted out to him. It was the guy in a brown shirt who had just entered the lounge. The officer looked at the guy strangely and asked him to cut the queue and come with him since he was already an hour late and there was a chance that the consulate would not admit him. It could take weeks before he could apply again, if he didn't get there pronto.
"Wait 5 mins, sir", the guy with the 9 am appointment said to the astonished officer. Before the officer could react, he quickly grabbed himself a Samosa and a Chai.
But, of course. It was included.
