Monday 27 April 2015

America Jaisa: Like America

A couple of days ago I had an important work event scheduled early in the morning. 
Being me I had to rush and had no time to do breakfast so I thought if I order food to get delivered it will arrive by the time I get ready and this way I will get to eat and leave early too. 
 To all those who are aware of my constant cry about my weight please stop shaking their heads and think about how jealous you are of the fact that in this part of the world you can get McDonald's to deliver breakfast at your doorstep ... yes I know you can almost smell the yumness of Mcmuffin and and hear the crunch as you almost chew into that goodness called hash browns but let me get back to my story which offers more than a juicy borrowed bite from the company me and my daughter jointly love to devour under the disappointing stares of our health and nutrition continuous beloved friends and family members.
So after i quickly ate my breakfast got ready I dashed out of the door grabbing the accompanying cup of coffee to finish on the way in the car since I cant do scathingly hot beverages without burning my taste buds. 
I walk into the lift, there is an uncle there already (hes around my father's age).. I nod at him in acknowledgement he nods back. I would have been perfectly fine spending the next few seconds in awkward silence strangers go through when sharing an elevator but apparently uncle is not so he attempts to talk and he says, "Aaj kal to Pakistan mai bhi sab America jaisa ho gaya hai" (tr. These days everything i Pakistan is also like America) and am like, "hmmm" and thinking to my self "seriously uncle! I mean I understand how elderly are always about well-meaning ill comments but I dont even know you and you can look at my sleeveless outfit and thin strip of dupatta and can go ahead and comment on how I am not very Pakistanily dressed?... I mean you have the right to comment but how politically correct is it to do it in front of me but since when is the dad crowd politically correct... (long chain of thought for a 5 floor lift ride but i guess brain does think with the speed of light) 
So here I am silently judging an uncle who is obviously not so silently judging me when he interjects my chain of though with an additional comment, "bhaga doori itni ho gai hai ab yahan bhi theek sai beth kar nashta karna mushkil ho gaya hai" (tr. life is so fast here also now that you cant really do breakfast in peace) I respond, "haan sahi baat hai" (tr. yea thats true) and walk out of the lift with my deflated balloon of parochiality...