Employee Discount

Have you ever tried the Chinese food they serve at the mall? Its consistently bad. A total rape of Chinese food. And all Americans fall for it. On any given day you'll find a line as long as the Great Wall of China waiting for their turn of General Tso chicken. Traditionally I have always been interested in the free samples handed out. But sometimes I am overcome by this urge for American Chinese food (perhaps each time I feel they might have improved, or it just reminds me of the Indian Chinese on the streets of Bombay) and I indulge in some. Today was one such fine day.

As I get to the cashier, she looks up at me, punches in some numbers and this is the conversation which follows:

She: "After employee discount, it's $2.79"
Me: "I am not..... (pause) ....here is $3.00"

So I am spending the rest of my Sunday trying to analyze if

1. I look Chinese?
2. I have been hanging out a little too much at the mall?
3. I have been working at the Chinese food place and am unaware of the same?
4. I can get equally lucky when purchasing an over-the-top out-of-budget jacket from the Armani Exchange?

#3 looks more of a possibility!

Desi Influx?

Grand Rapids is a city on the west side of Michigan. Grand Rapids is where I have planted my lousy ass for the last 10 months. Grand rapids has a 99.99% Caucasian population. I think I am the only Indian in Grand Rapids.

That was an exaggeration, but you know what I mean. In NY, every 5th person is Indian. In NJ, every 5th person is American. All others are desis. Something similar in DC. Having lived across most of these areas over many years, there has not been a day gone by when I have not seen a desi face (no, I am not talking about staring at myself in the mirror). In Grand Rapids, I could go on for months without a desi face. So you get where I am going.... right? No desis here.

Today I was walking in this mall and came across one of those stalls (do they call 'em stalls here?) where chinese women massage you (which usually looks more like they are practicing Kung-Fu on ya) or some women are getting some eye threading done on the cheap. This stall looked more like the eye threading one, with a resaonable number of women waiting for their turn. As I walked past, I stopped dead still, stared stared and stared. And stared some more. Three huge face close-up posters of three beautiful women pasted all over the area, showing the perfect eyes with perfect eyebrow threading. The women?

1. Bipasha Basu
2. Deepika Padukone
3. Aishwarya Rai

And a dozen Caucasian women seated under those posters, getting their eyebrows threaded.

On a different note, I just got back from the screenign of The Dark Knight. I felt its well made, but over-hyped. Yes, I like Heath Ledger's performance. I like the way he flicks his tongue out while talking. Like a serpent. Nice. I think I'll start copying that. At least during weekly meetings at work. And on first dates. Yes. Nice. I like!