brown sugar: want some sweetness?: The Saga Of The Kabobwalla

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Sorry haven't written about London. But here's yet another encounter from across the pond.

March 2002

Location: Kabob take-away in by Earl's Court Station, London.

Sugar is slightly tipsy with her friends at 3am.

b: (in my horrible Urdu). Um, could I get some water with my kabob roll? (In English) Sparkling water, please.

Kabobwalla: (In Urdu) We don't have sparkling. Have some 7-Up, it's the same thing.

b: (back to Urdu) Uh, no it's not. It's okay, I don't want anything to drink then.

Kabobwalla: Drank enough, huh? You girls dressed like that, chi chi.

b: (Yelling in Urdu) What? How dare you say that! Forget this, just give me my kabob!

b's friends: What were you yelling about, b?

June 2007

Location: The same kabob take-away.

This time b is sober and it's only 10:30pm

b: (In Urdu) Could I get some sparkling water with my kabob?

Kabobwalla: We don't have that. Why don't you take some 7-Up? It's the same thing.

b: (To myself) Where did I hear this conversation before?

At Tue Jul 24, 04:40:00 PM PDT , Anonymous said...

I love stories like this. While in a taxi in the motherland, my mom and I passed a peanut seller who she remembered being there 30-40 years earlier.
At Wed Jul 25, 05:48:00 AM PDT , Mediocre Blogger said...

I've had similar encounters with the vegetable vendor on my grandparents' street corner in Madras.
At Wed Jul 25, 08:50:00 AM PDT , Unknown said...

Whoa, too funny that he was still peddling the 7UP. Atleast he wasn't peddling cardboard disguised as sticky buns.
At Wed Jul 25, 11:06:00 AM PDT , Anonymous said...

heh heh.

i love how all indian sales people do that when they don't have the thing you want ... can't tell you how many times i heard "no, medam, same thing, high quality" when searching for specific home dec. and salwar fabric!
At Wed Aug 01, 01:29:00 PM PDT , brown sugar said...

tamasha:
Cute story. How interesting is it that even when we move along in our lives, there are still those constants that remain. Actually, not sure if I'm making sense, but like your story, too.

mediocre blogger:
Cool! Did the veggie vendors also try to offer you 7-Up? Just Kidding :-).

zen:
No, the kabob's there are great. It's just "pretentious" brownie that likes her sparkling water, I guess ;-).

agk:
I know, I've noticed the same thing, too. You gotta love desi sales people :-).

brown sugar: want some sweetness?