I'm always on the lookout for new restaurants and udipi cafes where one can sit for a long time undisturbed over a cup of coffee and vada sambar.
Scene 1. Ah. A new joint. I enter, sit at a table and ask for coffee. The waiter nods. The resultant drink is the restaurant's standard coffee. It is way too sweet for my taste.
Scene 2. Same cafe. This time with a friend. Friend tells him to get two coffees. "Sugarless" she says, in rich plummy tones. The fellow nods his head. The coffee arrives, steaming. And sweet. Aaargh.
Scene 3. Same joint. Ok, it's on my way and convenient. I ask for coffee. Waiter nods. Then in a fit of epiphany I ask him, "Which language do you understand? Hindi, English?" in each of the languages. Turns out he is from the rural areas of north. Hindi it is. "Coffee mein chini nahi daalna. Bilkul nahi." He nods his head vigorously, and also rewards me with a smile.
This time the coffee is as I like it. Without sugar.
Scene 1. Ah. A new joint. I enter, sit at a table and ask for coffee. The waiter nods. The resultant drink is the restaurant's standard coffee. It is way too sweet for my taste.
Scene 2. Same cafe. This time with a friend. Friend tells him to get two coffees. "Sugarless" she says, in rich plummy tones. The fellow nods his head. The coffee arrives, steaming. And sweet. Aaargh.
Scene 3. Same joint. Ok, it's on my way and convenient. I ask for coffee. Waiter nods. Then in a fit of epiphany I ask him, "Which language do you understand? Hindi, English?" in each of the languages. Turns out he is from the rural areas of north. Hindi it is. "Coffee mein chini nahi daalna. Bilkul nahi." He nods his head vigorously, and also rewards me with a smile.
This time the coffee is as I like it. Without sugar.
