Mind your manners....

-

“Mom,just behave while you eat,for God’s sake use a spoon instead of hand”,i shrugged as i felt embarrassed in restaurant while dining...

Mom looked at me, said nothing, and continued to eat that way...

We finished the dinner, at last i was relieved that it was over, paid the bill and left, Mom took an auto till her home...yes we lived separately, especially after my not so arranged love marriage with my beloved. All those cultures, creed came into play while i showed my choice to my mother, but those times were over, and here i was taking mom out for a sumptuous dinner just because i wanted to give a treat for my recent appraisal at office,happiness is always shared best with your loved ones, but i wasn’t happy for the mannerisms...

A long time after,i happened to visit Italy for a project,courtesy my office...

Now the Italian eating patterns are distinctively different from Italians,according to an eminent coobook author-
Italian food is "twice blessed  because it is the product of two arts, the art of cooking and the art of eating," 


Italy has only two staple diets for we Indians-Pastas and pizzas,and i bet if you are a vegetarian you cant savour any third dish..


Being a crude mannerist, i picked a knife and a fork,while dining one day with my foreign counterparts to have a Feast pizza which looked delicious,This way was deemed to be the most polite way of eating a pizza,but even after many tries i looked helpless...


I tried looking "decent" and then quickly realized that all of the people I was trying to impress were using their hands,and one of them retorted “give up man,you cant do that”Eat like the locals to save and savor,you cant change the culture,but you can change the behaviour”, in his blatant taunting accent...

 i quickly remembered how i treated my mom that day,how she would have felt,there was a day while we as a family used to eat on “banana leaves”,on ground and ate like no one could,and was reduced to a pile of mannerisms,behaving to please people...and something came from my eyes ,it was a tear –it was for “for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride,and suddenly everything around me changed...changed for good..!

The phrase-"While in Rome,just do as the Romans do" may not always hold good,exceptions galore..





Comments

Kanchan Dixit said…
Such a fine post !!!
You can also relate to the childhood days, when you showed up no manners at all at a family gathering and your mom used to give all the attention n love to you amidst the crowd....Think of it....But the good part is that you realized...and to be honest all of us do it one or the other day.....Truely a thought-provoking piece of words. Thanks.
July 17, 2014 at 11:36 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Turning the page...

-
Image
When twilight descends, and the world turns dim, I search for your face in the shadows within. The hours stretch like shadows, heavy on my soul, Each moment apart leaves an unfillable hole. In that silence of the night, I call your name,   Each echo carries whispers, a tender flame.   Though distance between us stretches like an endless sea,   My heart beats softly, forever bound to thee.   Stars above us shimmer, like dreams we share,   Yet the moon’s lonely glow can’t compare to your stare.   I trace the paths we walked, the laughter and the tears,   Each memory is a treasure, sweet balm for my fears.      I carry moments between us like a song in my heart, A melody sweet, though we're worlds apart. Each star in the night sky reflects your eyes, A promise of love that never says goodbye. In the corners of my heart and mind, still a longing resides,   A flame that flickers softly, where ...
Read more

अधूरी सी मुलाक़ातें...

-
Image
 कहते हैं, मुलाक़ात वो नहीं होती                                                                                                                                   जो वक़्त पर हो, जो तयशुदा घंटों में दस्तक दे, और चाय ठंडी हो जाने से पहले ख़त्म हो जाए।                                                                                         ...
Read more

15 years of almost...

-
Image
15 years back, we were young then, with laughter that filled our skies, no weight of the world, no need for disguise. We skipped through hours as if time would bend, and I believed our story had no end.   Do you recall the rain, when we both ran barefoot, your hair dripping wet, your eyes absolute? The world spun in chaos, yet you made it still, like silence obeying a higher will. Evenings blurred in cafés, with cups half-sipped, conversations so endless, and hours just slipped. The sparkle of festivals, celebrations aglow, but your smile was brighter than any I know.   We argued like children, then laughed till we cried, you softened my edges, I lost all my pride. In crowded corridors, your glance found mine, and in that moment everything else felt divine.   But life pulled us apart, with threads we couldn’t weave, what we wanted to hold, we had to leave. Years rolled like thunder, yet one truth stayed, that memories of you did never really fade.   I’ve held hands, ...
Read more