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Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Srama, Feb 5, 2020.

  1. kkrish

    kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Sabs
    Your lovely snippet took me back 30-35 years back when the after the first week of life in the US I asked my husband, "you told me we are going to America, where have you brought me?"
    The first thing I missed were humans on the roads and streets. I have seen people walking in the streets in American movies. It took me a few months to realize that what I had seen in the movies was just New York City.
    It became my past time looking for folks from motherland that when I first returned to India and stepped into the city, my first thoughts were, "wow so many Indians!" I had turned paranoid.
    To this day I enjoy going to the Indian stores, for that is a mini visit to my motherland. We get to see the new products, while taking comfort that my childhood favorites such as Krackjack, Britannia wafers, Cadbury's fruit and nut, still are around.
    Last week i went to a local Chinese store and was very happy to see "manathakali" keerai (Kakkesoppu/Kamanchi Chettu/Makoy ), fresh turmeric, and fresh methi leaves. They had sapotas too :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
  2. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Dear Kamala,

    Thank you for such an apt and lovely response. You have captured the spirit real well in your response. I am with you on the silence part - that was the first thing I had to get used to when I came here the first time even though I had lived in other countries earlier!
    Those American movies I tell you! As naive as it sounds now, back then before coming to America I had watched that movie Helen Hunt's Twister and hadn't bothered much about it, you know movie and all! But as fate would have it, a tornado landed a few miles to where we were living, just a couple of weeks after we landed! Imagine my shock, not to speak of my Dhs' too! Now, 20 years later, I know of a person who lost his home in that same tornado!

    You know I never looked at Indian stores the way you described
    Will I sound rude, if I add people to that? So many at one place (smaller), looking at vegetables, breaking the ends off to check the quality etc. We come alive as 'US' :)

    Now that mention of sapota in a Chinese place, while I can go check out a shop here, I am going to assume it as an invitation to visit you :)

    Thank you my friend for your response! I loved it!
     
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  3. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Kkrish,
    Yes, I too missed people. Especially in winters.
    In London I used to go to a road named Rayners Lane which is full of only Indian shops, restaurants and white face is a rare sight in that street. I can take bus and go there.....roam for sometime, sit on the sidewalk benches, watch people....pick up a couple of vegetables and come back home.
    Syamala
     
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  4. kkrish

    kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Sabitha

    No you are not rude at all. It is a shameful thing to see folks behave in such a way.

    One day I was about to pick some fresh avarakkai, when a young child, about 4-5, was just picking them, crushing, twisting, breaking, and making the vegetables useless for others, while the mother was quiet and did not stop the child.
    Here was the child not only spoiling the vegetables for other customers, but also spoiling and the store owner's inventory. Not to speak of a giving the store a poor reputation for later shoppers who would not know a child spoilt the produce.
    When I told the mother to stop the child , she did not even apologize, not did she chide the child, just a cool, "vaa kanna pogalam" (come child, let's go).

    At another store, i had a cart full of stuff waiting at the cashier, when a lady said, "I have just one, can I go first?". I let her. She then put her stuff on the counter and told the cashier, " oh let me get one thing, went and got three things, and while the cashier was about to ring in, caleed to her companion and asked to pick up some more stuff. I finally told her she was being unfair and that she bluffed ... yes right there and in front of others waiting in line. She did not care.

    I have so many peeves... i can write a book.
    Sure. please do.
     
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  5. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    As usual an everday experience rendered without a sense of deja vu. As for the Hindi workout song, I find that my NRI relatives irrpimd themselves more with things Indian thn those here. And the workout music at this gym I used to attend until few years ago was decidedly western with English and Spanish numbers thrown in.
     
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  6. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Agreed and more Kamala! We all have those experiences don't we? These days, I seem to focus more on what/who I don't want to be than what I want to be - that means knowing myself better too and focusing on that more. You know? Recently I was reading elsewhere that when we clean up, instead of saying what we don't need, it is better to focus on what we do need and keep them with love while discarding the rest. Apparently it helps with positivity.

    Now I am wondering as to how I can always tie what you write to your time management, posotivity and clutter free life. Thank you again, Kamala @kkrish
     
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  7. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Thank you @Balajee for your words. It is quite strange/ironical that the gym music is western in India! I have two instructors, the first one used to usually play Madonna's song mentioning in the class, it is most certainly for me :) and the second one this is the first time she ever played which took me by surprise, nevertheless very pleased. There definitely is lovely workout bollywood songs and bolly fitness is such a popular thing here, not to forget bhangra music. I was taken aback when my son's piano teacher asked if he knows to play any bhangra music! I am, for one very happy to see all this!
     

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