**Long Post Alert**
I saw, Suzy Que’s prompt on Write Tribe yesterday and I was thrilled. Thrilled, because she gave a tutorial on Free Write. Free Write, Suzy explained is to write down whatever comes into your mind for 15 straight minutes either as a word purge (no topic at all) or on a prompt. You must check her post for all the Dos and Don’ts. Coming back to the thrilled part. I realized that all my Live Blogging posts from Railway Stations, Trains or Bus or Airports are actually Free Writes. I was not aware of the term but I have done a lot of posts which can be categorized as Free Writes. Thank you Suzy for enlightening! 🙂
Since, I mentioned ‘yesterday’ in this post, let me share my ‘spectacular’ day that was yesterday.
Early in the morning, Krishna our maid, came and started doing the dishes and few minutes later the kitchen was flooded with water. No points for guessing, the drainage pipe was clogged. Both Krishna and I tried all the tricks in the book to get the water flowing smoothly in the drain, but alas! we failed. The sweeper, Mahesh was called. He assessed the situation and we had a conversation that reads like this…
He : I will charge Rs 200 for the job.
Me : Rs 200 is way too much for this task.
He: This is the standard rate. You can check with the Apartment Supervisor.
Me: Ok.
As he got busy with the task, I called the Supervisor and checked the rates with him. He informed, Rs 100, if some chemicals are used and Rs 50 without usage of any chemicals.
In flat 5 minutes, Mahesh got the drainage system working and gushing. I gave Rs 100 to him after explaining that I had a word with the Supervisor about the fixed rates. No, he had not used any chemicals. This cheeky guy kept the money on the kitchen slab and walked out and said arrogantly, “I am not taking Rs 100!” I was shocked but calmly dialled the Supervisor’s number and explained that I was magnanimous enough to give him Rs 100 for the job but it is still not acceptable to Mahesh. A chat with the manager and Mahesh left with Rs 100!
God! I dislike this brash attitude and kicked myself for paying Rs 100 instead of Rs 50. God knows, what was I thinking then.
Later in the day, while we were on our way to the bank, I told KG that I want to have tea, this very moment. He gave me a look which when translated verbally meant, “you and your desires!’” And guess what, just a few minutes later, we had the best coffee with the bank manager. Small joys make a big difference, truly!
In the evening, I went to Easy Day which is on the ground Floor of our apartment. The guard was not at the entrance and 2 small boys on their way out from the store stood under air door and enjoyed the cool air which was a contrast to the hot and humid weather outside. I did not interrupt their joy of feeling the cold air on their faces and waited for them outside the store. Seeing me smiling at their moment of bliss, they hurriedly left with a broad smile.
The cook was on leave yesterday. She is unwell. *SIGH* I checked the dinner options with KG. We zeroed on vegetable stew. I was about to hang up and KG said, ‘You just do the preparations, I will cook’. This arrangement suits me well 😉 He came from work (I work too but I am home by 4.30 pm) and made the vegetable stew and all through the dinner and even after it, he could not stop himself from gloating about his cooking. The stew was simply awesome, no doubts about that. But what is this with chefs? They are so much in love with the food they cook. Even in the cookery shows on TLC, Zee Cafe, before the food hits their taste buds, all the chefs are quick to say, “Oh this is delicious’ or ‘Perfect’ or make those ‘Ummms and ooohs’ sounds .
I mean I cook well but I never talk about it. That’s another story that I beam with pride when Aaryan is back from his boarding school and he says, “Ma, you make Rajma today (not the maid) or I miss your Kadhi at school”.
Talking about Aaryan, he will be home in the first week of October, just for a week! But we are all excited and I have already booked my tickets to bring my baby home!
How was your day yesterday?
Written for Write Tribe : Free Write Prompt for 15 20 minutes
59 Responses
What a cheeky Mahesh. So true about those chefs. I think they play the psychological game – if they keep saying delicious etc, we really start to think that. What a nice easy read your post was. Have fun with Aaryan when he’s home. Thanks for writing on my prompt.
Oh yeah! We meet such characters all the time! 😐
Hmmm… may be, that’s the trick of their trade, the chefs may say so on TV shows but in reality the taste matters so wonder if what they cook on TV sells well too! Thanks, counting days for Aaryan to be back home. Thank you Suzy, glad you enjoyed reading this post and also for sharing a fab prompt with us 🙂
Shilpa , I found this narrative vry interesting. This Mahesh yype boys are found every where. They simply irritate! Nice that Aryan will be there for a week. Have a nice time with him.
Sorry for typo errors.
Thanks Ma’am. Yes, we are looking forward to his vacations. Glad you enjoyed reading this account! 🙂
Sometime back, I made some dishes and took photos of it and posted them in my blog describing them as ‘too good’ and other such adjectives.
Immediately afterwards, I put the whole thing in the dustbin – It was so horrible to taste! Thankfully, blog readers saw only the photos (which were perfect) and were not able to taste it 😛
Ah, the joys of technology 🙂
Destination Infinity
LOL 😀 That’s hilarious. The whole dish in the dustbin!! 😀 I am sure you never cooked on your own again? Did you?
You’re so right about those chefs. 😀 I see so many cookery shows(that is an another thing that I don’t try making things they teach) and all of them are like that.
Must meet some celebrity chef and ask them the reason for doing so. Sometimes, the experiments that KG does in the kitchen don’t go right, but he would still love them. I may give up on the dish after a bite or 2 but he would have it and would remark 10 appreciative comments and may be 2 areas of improvement in the dish, but not a negative word against his dish! 😐
A little tohfa for you. 🙂
http://shilpasharmaonline.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/tohfa-shohfa/
I can never do free write. I have to sit and think a bit before I can write. That I guess is my drawback…
I should try it one of these days 🙂
Good to know that the kitchen drain is not blocked anymore, you got to taste lovely stew and yayy!! for Aaryan coming home.
Enjoyed reading about your day…
Oh, you can, V!! Try it sometime and the words will flow effortlessly! I like the fact that in 10-20 minutes a free-write post is ready!
Thanks and glad you enjoyed reading this account. 🙂
Absolutely, love ur prompt Shilpa. There are some people who are not satisfied even if we give them lil’ extra money. Happy that the drain is sorted out and M happy you will meet Aryan. It’s good that children are sent to boarding school since it forges their character:)
Agree, every rupee counts for all of us but quoting ridiculous amounts for jobs is simply not done! Thanks Vishal and glad to know your views about boarding schools. Made my day 🙂
Exactly. It’ theft and some people think that the fact that we have a decent flat means we are super rich. How they ignore what we face to make things work out for us.
Nice post Shilpa……and if this is a free write, am also gonna give it a try soon!!
I must ask my wifei to post about those Maheshs available in every society :p
Looking forward to your Free Write, Hemant. Oh, would love to know about your experiences with the likes of Mahesh, we may learn a thing or 2 too! 🙂
it seems like a challenge to me. And good to read tid bits of your day. My day wasn’t so good. Had a nasty cough and cold with fever and struggled to finish work.
It is not! Try it once, Rachna. I am sure you will enjoy writing a Free Write!
Oh, is it viral? Pls take good care of yourself and get well soon!
many of my posts r free writes too 🙂
really cool that suzy unleashed it ! btw I too love that cool air and standing under it and that 200/- ka chakkar same thng happened to me.
I Guess jst names differenet scenarios are same
good day
Arent the Free Writes awesome? Thanks to Suzy we got a new category for our older posts! 🙂 We meet extortionists like Mahesh everywhere!! 🙁
Enjoyed the recap of your day, Shilpa.Things work a little different at our place – Jose does the prep and I do the cooking -most times! And there are days I outdo myself and gloat. 😉
Wow… I like the roles and responsibilities at your place! I love the ones we share at our home too 😉 Looks like ‘loving your dishes’ is the mantra of all good cooks 😀
Wonderful to know about your day!
Yeah, small unexpected pleasures are always welcome.
have fun with Aryan when he’s home! Take care
Glad you liked reading about my day, Kajal. Thanks a lot 🙂
An interesting account of previous day…Hope you have a nice time with Aryan…All the best 🙂
Thanks a lot, Sheela 🙂
When you put effort into food – it already becomes delicious. Seriously, I have eaten so many times my burnt food (only me) – and I will always tell it as awesome. I feel awesome when I cook food on my own.
Yesterday, I slept, coughing & sneezing. Change in weather in Delhi has started the spread of viral here. 😛
Oh yes, the fruits of your labor always tastes best! 😀
Take care of yourself, Praveen and get well soon 🙂
Nice post. I think I have mentioned it here before. Most of them want money from your pocket to their pocket without doing anything. Male chefs boast a lot. Right? Me guilty.
Agree with that completely and that’s so very true for plumbers, electricians, carpenters…. they do small repair work and charge so exorbitantly. 😐
Wow… you are chef too!! Very cool 🙂
Coming here after long time, I didn’t realize you moved to your own domain. And what a beautiful day that was , well of course after the initial glitches. I love the food cooked by hubby, when I ask him the secret he says he adds lot of love into it. I tend to agree 🙂
Hi LF. Good to see you here! Wow, you are in the elite group of couples where the husband loves to cook, too! That’s so sweet, yes, I agree too, a dollop of love does wonders to the dish! 🙂
My days have been hectic!! And I so agree with ur observations on chef!! Have u ever seen that guy…Aditya Bal on Chakh Le India? That bugger cooks the food and eats it just off the flame and goes like yummy!! Tasty!!! and what not. I am like, hello! let others decide also I dunno how can he tell the taste when it so hot!!!
And that plumber thing is so bad re. These mechanics I tell you they try to mint money kaise bhi…..
Oh yes, agree about Aditya Bal… how can he eat the food when it is so hot? You know, sometimes he burns the food too (kababs or some roasted stuff) and still says its nice and tender and just perfectly done! 😀
I believe, these plumbers, electricians must be the rich guys… for just coming to your home, they’d charge Rs 200 or so and the cost of doing work is extra! 😐
Interesting day you had, Shilpa. Found myself nodding along at everything… The plumber, the chefs!!! Must congratulate you yet again on a husband who can and will cook.
Thanks OM 🙂 Yes, as I said earlier, a chef as a husband is a boon as as well as a bane! 😉 Boon… he can cook anything anytime and great food is guaranteed always. Bane… he has this thing about finding faults in everything you cook. The food has to be the best always! Of course, advantages outweigh the disadvantages 😀
loved the post. Free write seems like a cool idea especially when you are on blog marathons.
rs 100 to clear clogged drains?! Shilpa, periodically pour hot water, (once in a week should do) into the sink . It will remove the kitchen grime and the sticky growths along the tube ensuring smooth flow of water. I have never had clogged drains due to this, You can even use the hotwater used to boil jacketed potatoes, throw them directly into the drain rather then into the sink. or even washing soda with hot water.
true, small joys make a huge difference and you are so right about those chefs but i love it when my children say that i am ‘Master chef material’ and that compliment lasts only till their dad gets into the kitchen.
I have attempted this freewrite manytimes, only i did’nt know it was called that.
Thanks a lot, Asha, for a fab suggestion… will do that!
Wow!! That’s a huge compliment… must visit you soon!! 🙂
It was the same with me too… got to know the term only after Suzy shared about it!
This free writing concept looks awesome! Gotta try it soon 🙂
That was one impressive day. Maybe we all have such little moments of joy, but they seem to be lost in the sea of madness.
You must try it out definitely, Akhil! It is fun to write this way!
Oh yes, we all have these small moments of joy but we fail to value or acknowledge them!
The day that was yesterday was indeed an interesting read. Sure the Chef’s think they are the Bee’s Knees. It has always boggled me that if traditionally its women who have been doing the cooking for ages how come the celebrated chef’s are mostly males??
Glad that you enjoyed reading this piece, Seema! 🙂
Yeah, I wonder the same too!! 😐
Hmmm, there is always a mahesh around all of us isnt it?
And I am checking the free write thing, sounds interesting
Oh yes! Their breed is growing strong! 🙁
You must try a Free Write… looking forward to read it on your blog soon!
You should see Vah re Vah Chef, that fellow would be describing his creations so well and finally eat everything he has cooked in the show, and he looks so slim and fit. Men consider themselves as unique creations of God, and think whatever they have cooked is beyond comparison to anything or anyone.
The most irritating part is when they keep on and on about what all they added, and how they have cooked, their secrets( as if we are dying to hear) oouuff , makes me wonder why were they allowed into the kitchen itself. And after they have left the kitchen, it would look like some kabada khanna
Nice narration of your typical day, the ups and downs. Enjoy your days with your son.
Have never seen Vah re Vah Chef. Will check it out!
LOL… I can empathize with you, coz I am in the same boat too! 😀
The mess after the husbands cook in the kitchen… God save us from that!!
Thanks a lot, Rama 🙂
call it coincidence, but i was struggling with my flooded kitchen for the past 2 days, and our apartment plumber just kept avoiding fixing it up, god knows why! and i got another plumber from outside,who examined it like a doctor and said he’ll charge 150, and when the work was done, he conveniently hiked it to 250/- and reasoned that he had only told me the cost for the fixtures, and his fee was another 100/- rs.!! lootne ka accha tarika hai!
OMG!! You too!! Gosh, that’s terrible… Rs 250 for a drain cleaning!! :O
A day in your life was quite entertaining. Simple read and could get to know you as I read on more “days in your life”. Keep writing and enjoy with Aryan.
Thanks a lot, Poornima 🙂
I know what you mean by chefs praising their own cooking 🙂 My husband cooks delicious non-veg and brags about it a lot 🙂 Glad to know your son is coming home for holidays, have fun.
Aah! It’s the same story everywhere!! 😀
Thanks Sulekha… counting days now! 😀
I commented and I don’t know what happened. 😀
Sounds like a typical day, Shilpa. I have to call the plumber now 😀 but only after I list all the things to be done…or I’ll surely forget something and remember it only after he leaves, his pocket full.
So glad your son’s coming home – enjoy your weekend! Love, Vidya
I checked, there’s no comment of yours in the Spam folder!! 😀
Aah… that’s another story… agree, it is best to list all the work and then call them, otherwise their second visit would cost a bomb!
Thanks Vidya, you have a great time too 🙂
Cheers 🙂
Boy! You have a husband who cooks! !! Let him praise his own food for as long as he wants. He COOKS! and that matters Shilpa 😀
Agree, Jayashree… that’s a BIG blessing and I must not crib about minor irritants! 😀
That must have been fun! That was a nice narration of your day, which seems to be more eventful than most (hopefully!)
Yeah, days like these add spice to life! 😀