Living in Bay area where every other person is an IT professional or an Indian, or belongs to an intersection of both, I started noticing the subtle changes in the Stratosphere around me. From the Sugarcane juice/Golgappa stall in a thriving market complex, to the bawling kids in the poshest of restaurants, gentlemen we surely make our mark and don't believe in keeping it subtle.
Anyways you definitely know we Indians feel at home -
1 - When local Costco Supermart starts selling Haldiram Snacks, Rotis, Ready to eat currries and several brands of basmati rice.
2 - When your neighbourhood is as well lit as Christmas during Diwali season and your neighbour mesmerized by diwali lights starts asking if Indians celebrate Christmas early?
3 - When there are several local teams and cricket tournaments held and websites are made to track. Hmm... nice mix of cricket and Tech.
4 - When in a plush upmarket residential community. You find the Property manager mentions "Weekly Indian Movie screening" as one of the Key differentiators.
5 - When Ustad Zakir Hussain settles down in Bay Area; claiming the area makes his creative juices flow. Wonder, how he managed to keep it alive back home.
6 - When Raj Abhyankar (No, not at all related to Lucknow University MMS Kand), stands for Local Mayoral post election and almost wins it. ***Updates*** - Another Asian across Himalayas snatched the seat from him.
7 - When at the local temple folks bring their automobiles to crush lemons by the tires and break the coconut to celebrate the buy.
8 - When at the same temple, prior to entering the prayer hall you see vast amount of footwear strewn around in a pattern which most believe can only be created by a stampede. Everybody gets to play "Find your shoes" and "Mix and Match" for free once the Aarti gets over. This all happens despite the large shoes racks placed next to entrance. The only warning that seems to be partially effective is the one displayed.
9 - When folks go to local supermarket store and as a matter of fact, ask the surprised store clerk where are Curry leaves, Fenugreek, Jaggery, Cinnamon and Cumin powder?
10 - When people crib about the non availability of Veggie Dishes in the continental dinner menu.
11 - When the most popular dishes in a fusion Thai restaurant is Roti Prata and Indian Mei Gurang. Now Indian Mei Gurang... never heard of this one in India, anyone?
12 - And lastly, when you see nervously smiling firangs in expensive black suits and their spouses in Armani cocktail dresses gingerly squatting for a traditional South Indian Wedding reception meal. All wearing a brave expression on their faces, already turned red by various delicious and extremely hot curries and trying real hard to tackle the mounds of rice using their fingers as silver wares. This one totally reminds me of the first time I tried to handle tofu with Chopsticks and ended up in transforming the "Fried Tofu" into "Flying Tofu".
1 comment:
You know, dabba service (for office lunch / home) is another strong indicator.
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