"Its Weekend!" Every single person is bound to be happy on hearing this sentence :) I am no different. I too had many plans for this weekend and for once executed it too :P Exploring outskirts of chennai was something that was at the top of my to-do list this weekend.
I found that the places outside chennai had no influence of the busy-life here. It was lunch time and we started hunting for a restaurant in that town. After few inquiries and research we landed in the so-called "best hotel" in that town. This "best" hotel had 4 sets of tables , 2 fans that hardly gave out any clue of its existence until and unless we look up at it, a radio that played songs to remind me that films existed centuries ago too, a cashier who kept counting the few set of notes again and again giving me a feel that it is the toughest job to do and to top it all a board that gives out the "best dishes" of the hotel that can put even multi-cuisine restaurants to shame ;) While I was examining the "best qualities" of this hotel, a waiter interrupted my thoughts by placing few glasses(tumblers) of water with a thud( reminding me that he too played a major role in the "best" hotel). I asked for a mineral water and was greeted by the thud of the bottle in no time. He narrated the menu,breathless, with such an eloquence and in a sing-song way, as if he has been giving out the same menu since ages. Though I couldn't decipher a single item, I ordered dosa as I was sure it must have been an integral part of this breathless menu. He immediately continued to exhibit his skill by giving out the varieties of dosas available,reminding me that its "the best" hotel in town. To his dismay, I stopped him abruptly and ordered "plain dosa". He immediately shouted out the order to the "invisible cook" who existed behind a curtain.
At that time, few foreigners came into that hotel. The Indian in me got a little terrified as I feared the foreigner should not assume all the "best hotels" in India are just like this one. They gave a broad smile to everyone in the hotel. Even the ever-busy cashier looked up for a moment before resuming his counting again. I reciprocated with a short smile and quickly looked away, somehow feeling guilty of the state of the hotel. The waiter came and repeated the same routine. I wanted to tell the waiter to give them mineral water, but to my surprise one of the foreigners sipped the water remarking "Thank you.. We've been so thirsty". My surprise didn't end there. When the waiter narrated the menu in his style, they made him repeat it and recorded it in their handycam. The waiter was beaming with happiness. They asked the waiter to get him anything of his choice. The waiter quickly shouted out 3 different varieties of dosas to the "invisible" cook.
Meanwhile my dosa arrived, I started pondering over the hygiene of the plate and started pitying the foreign guests who were about to eat from similar plates. I started munching my dosa, trying my best to avoid contact with the plate. The waiter brought out the 3 plates of dosa and laid it in front of them. I was curiously waiting for their reaction. They took a bite and one of them exclaimed"Wow...This tastes like heaven". They were very interested to know the making of their "heavenly" dish. Soon, the cashier, who didn't speak a word till now, narrated the receipe in "tanglish" and dumb-charades, feeling very proud. The waiter who didn't understand anything, also had big proud-smile all through the narration. The smile was infected to me also. On the whole, everybody in the hotel was happy(may be even the "invisible cook"). The foreigners changed the entire atmosphere with their sense of appreciation and thanks giving.
This made me realise that everything is a reflection of how we see it. If we see the best in it, it surely becomes the best. When I walked out of the hotel, I smiled to myself and said "Its indeed "the best" hotel in its own way!"
I found that the places outside chennai had no influence of the busy-life here. It was lunch time and we started hunting for a restaurant in that town. After few inquiries and research we landed in the so-called "best hotel" in that town. This "best" hotel had 4 sets of tables , 2 fans that hardly gave out any clue of its existence until and unless we look up at it, a radio that played songs to remind me that films existed centuries ago too, a cashier who kept counting the few set of notes again and again giving me a feel that it is the toughest job to do and to top it all a board that gives out the "best dishes" of the hotel that can put even multi-cuisine restaurants to shame ;) While I was examining the "best qualities" of this hotel, a waiter interrupted my thoughts by placing few glasses(tumblers) of water with a thud( reminding me that he too played a major role in the "best" hotel). I asked for a mineral water and was greeted by the thud of the bottle in no time. He narrated the menu,breathless, with such an eloquence and in a sing-song way, as if he has been giving out the same menu since ages. Though I couldn't decipher a single item, I ordered dosa as I was sure it must have been an integral part of this breathless menu. He immediately continued to exhibit his skill by giving out the varieties of dosas available,reminding me that its "the best" hotel in town. To his dismay, I stopped him abruptly and ordered "plain dosa". He immediately shouted out the order to the "invisible cook" who existed behind a curtain.
At that time, few foreigners came into that hotel. The Indian in me got a little terrified as I feared the foreigner should not assume all the "best hotels" in India are just like this one. They gave a broad smile to everyone in the hotel. Even the ever-busy cashier looked up for a moment before resuming his counting again. I reciprocated with a short smile and quickly looked away, somehow feeling guilty of the state of the hotel. The waiter came and repeated the same routine. I wanted to tell the waiter to give them mineral water, but to my surprise one of the foreigners sipped the water remarking "Thank you.. We've been so thirsty". My surprise didn't end there. When the waiter narrated the menu in his style, they made him repeat it and recorded it in their handycam. The waiter was beaming with happiness. They asked the waiter to get him anything of his choice. The waiter quickly shouted out 3 different varieties of dosas to the "invisible" cook.
Meanwhile my dosa arrived, I started pondering over the hygiene of the plate and started pitying the foreign guests who were about to eat from similar plates. I started munching my dosa, trying my best to avoid contact with the plate. The waiter brought out the 3 plates of dosa and laid it in front of them. I was curiously waiting for their reaction. They took a bite and one of them exclaimed"Wow...This tastes like heaven". They were very interested to know the making of their "heavenly" dish. Soon, the cashier, who didn't speak a word till now, narrated the receipe in "tanglish" and dumb-charades, feeling very proud. The waiter who didn't understand anything, also had big proud-smile all through the narration. The smile was infected to me also. On the whole, everybody in the hotel was happy(may be even the "invisible cook"). The foreigners changed the entire atmosphere with their sense of appreciation and thanks giving.
This made me realise that everything is a reflection of how we see it. If we see the best in it, it surely becomes the best. When I walked out of the hotel, I smiled to myself and said "Its indeed "the best" hotel in its own way!"
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