Twenty- five Seven

Do you want a Hindu Chicken?

March 12, 2017

Recently, while booking an airline ticket on a transatlantic flight I was asked if I wanted a Hindu Non-Veg Meal.

Quite frankly, I was aghast. Isn’t this taking food preferences a bit too far?

All I wanted a Non Vegetarian meal . It didn’t matter if it was Hindu or not .

” I don’t really care about the Hindu part , ” I replied ” I just want a Non Vegetarian meal. Can’t I have a continental meal? ”

“I’m afraid madam on this sector it isn’t available ”

Now that was something that made me even more curious. Here I was traveling westward on a European carrier and was told that there was no continental meal available !!! What about the non-Indians, I thought travelling on the plane. Were they going to be subjected to gravies swimming in their plates?

“Then what is available ? ”

“Hindu Vegetarian and Muslim Non Vegetarian.”

“Really ? And what is the difference between the two non-veg options? Does one have beef and the other pork?”

“No ! no! ” protested the girl. “We only serve chicken! ”

“How are they different ?” I persisted.

“In the way they are slaughtered?” she asked tentatively.

In the beginning there was just chicken

This was something new to me. Indeed, it was a far cry from the days when airline food was just airline food. Normally, food served on board was the food of the country of the national carrier. I didn’t matter what the passenger like. Hence you either ate it or starved.

However, with more crowded skies there was a need to encourage passenger loyalty. There came faster planes, wider seats and food that was Vegetarian and non-Vegetarian.

Gradually the menu included vegan, diabetic and other kinds of cuisines.

Now this was something else! Here I was looking to enjoy a good glass of French wine and eating some as-nice-as-it-can-get-on-an-aeroplane, continental food. However, here I had only two options : a Hindu or a Muslim Non-Vegetarian Meal.

“So I’ll make it Hindu Non Vegetarian madam?”

I asked her if there were other options like Christian Non-Vegetarian or Jewish Vegetarian.

Needless to say, she didn’t get the sarcasm!

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[Tweet “Have you come across a Hindu Non-Vegetarian meal before?”]

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Strange are the ways of the world. My personal belief is that food and religion are totally unrelated. It is health that determines dietary restrictions . Since I don’t judge others for following their beliefs, I wonder why I have to conform to beliefs and practices that aren’t mine.

Am I right or am I wrong? Do share your views in the comments . I’d love to hear from you.
Clouds in my Mumbai sky #SkywatchFriday

March 10, 2017

Waking up this morning I was surprised to see a smattering of grey clouds in my Mumbai sky.For moment I was struck by the beauty of a pale blue early morning sky with dashes of grey , the twinkling city lights and the sun trying to break through.

[Tweet “Do grey clouds in March mean less mangoes in May?”]

Clouds are rather unusual for March and doesn’t augur very well for the Mangoes that I intend eating later in April.

After a very short winter we Mumbaikars are experiencing a rather warm March. Suddenly the afternoons have become oppressively hot , reminiscent of summer .

I used to scoff at the old people who used to say that the weather has changed since they were children but now, becoming older myself, I find myself repeating those very same words!

Is it really global warming? Or have my perceptions changed?

Sharing my post with other skywatchers on #SkywatchFriday.
When strength becomes weakness#FridayReflections

March 9, 2017

A strength I didn’t know I had

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

This has been my all time favourite quote and I’ve just found out why.

Always a sucker for psychological tests, I quickly jumped to the VIA character survey to find out my hidden strengths.

But I was hardly prepared for the result:

Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

Your top strength is Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence which means you are able to see beauty around you and appreciate when things are done with excellence. You are in awe of things that others may take for granted. You admire great art and science, such as what may be seen in music, movies, and drama, and jobs done to high standards.

Really?

I always thought my strength lay in my ability to see the humour in everything!

Obviously I don’t know myself very well.

It also explains why everything has to be just so .

And I am beginning to understand why I do certain things like :

The Samsung present

According to my children, I have the knack of wrapping up a gift so beautifully that oftentimes it overshadows the gift itself . Like a Samsung TV that is packed in an oversized box!

Themes and memes

Whenever I entertain, I go into details like table settings, suitable dinnerware and putting together ‘wow’ moments. Ask me for some biscuits and I will make sure that they are served stylishly.

No patience with slow learners

In fact it puts into perspective my disapproval of sloppy work and my impatience with fools.

But I still have to figure how this will help me in my life.

For instance I should use this strength to achieve a perfect body size and weight.

I should exploit this characteristic to have the best blog on the block!

When strength becomes a weakness

On the other hand, striving for perfection and excellence can lead to dissatisfaction and disappointment. After all, things can’t be beautiful all the time can they?

Perhaps this personality trait is making me dissatisfied with the many imperfections in my life and I should learn to tone down expectations and accept things for what they are warts and all.

Which leads me to believe that this strength can actually be a weakness as every coin has two sides.

Do you find your strengths working for or against you?

Linking this up with #FridayReflections hosted by Corinne and Sanch Vee