Last night, six of us took two rickshaws to a restaurant in downtown Mysore. The drivers were friends, so naturally, they were playfully passing each other as they drove, allowing us to yell at our friends as we raced. These were among the more souped-up rickies (which means they could probably drive 80 km/h downhill (about 20 km/h uphill!), pretty impressive for glorified 3 wheeled motorbikes). The best part of those little motors is that you shouldn't feel safe in them, even though you do, so its an adventure every time.
The food at the restaurant was served on banana leaves as plates. It was mostly scoops of vegetable chutneys, a mountain of white rice, and bowls of soupy curries (accompanied with a 7-up). It was hilarious because our server was a 10 year old boy, and they didn't have most of what was on the menu that particular night. However, his little face lit up when we ordered something they did have, and he would bob it side to side excitedly (that's how indians nod- it means yes, or an approval, or I like to think it means "of course, you idiot"). I asked "do you have fish curry?" (a disappointed "no") , and "do you have fish fry" ("no"), and because someone had already ordered it, I said "but what I REALLY want is the chicken masala," and he was ecstatic!
However, after thinking about it, it settles well with me that they didn't have a lot of what was on the menu. It simply means that they didn't buy any fish that afternoon. In Canada, we buy a quarter chicken from Swiss Chalet, and of course it's available! They just go get it from the freezer where it has been for that last month. In Canada, everything is available all the time. Here, fruits are available in season, and products based on demand.
Back to the automobiles idea, the Tata Nano is a car that has been put on the market, and sells for around Rs. 100 000. It is the most affordable car ever in India, and people are expected to buy it like hotcakes. For the Tata car company, and workers everywhere who have been waiting for a cheap form of transportation and westernization like this, this is a godsend! From my humble point of view, the congestion is already reaching its limits on many roads. And with global climate change being a pressing issue these days, making a car available to hundreds of millions of salivating consumers is a slippery slope. But its
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but its.... but its what??? i'm dying to finish reading that sentence! i miss you lots Jared, you know that? oh hey, i was wondering... do you think you could buy me some bollywood movies? with english subtitles of course... I was thinking: "bride and prejudice" and "kyon ki" and "om shanti om" and "tere naam" (or mere naam, i can't remember). we found a bunch of these for like 120 rupees, one guy found some for 60 rupees, which is ridiculously cheap. but anyways, let me know if you can find some, and I'll figure out a way to get you money. ok, I love the stories about rickshaws and chicken masala.. im living it all over again! miss ya!
Janell
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