One evening, in New York

Our plane landed in New York City on a cold winter evening in 1984. Mother was tired, hungry, and craving for Chinese food. Father, who was more experimental, wanted to taste the different flavours of the kitchens of New York. However, mum’s comfort food was Chinese, so me and my dad went out to search a Chinese restaurant, and arrange for a takeaway.

After a long walk through misty streets, my father stopped at a casual dining. It was brightly lit instead of the fine dining dim light Chinese restaurants I’d generally been accustomed to. It had an open kitchen, and we could see chefs preparing dishes.

While we were waiting for our boxes to be ready, a man walked in, after office hours. He greeted the chefs very warmly. He was super excited when a plateful of chowmein arrived, and he repeatedly thanked the chefs for the same.

Then while eating, he kept on smiling, talking to himself, singing, and complimenting the chefs for a yummy dish. When the plate was half empty, he took a picture of it. I started to giggle.

Daddy said, “You don’t stare at people, and especially don’t snigger.”

“But the man is mad.”

“No, he isn’t. He’s a nice man who is grateful to the chefs who prepare meals for him on weekdays. He’s unwinding after a hard day at work. Taking this picture is his way of making merry.”

Father died two years later. Many blood relations who prided themselves as ‘respectable’ would point at people who weren’t behaving in a neurotypical manner, laugh, and tell me, “That is a mad person, or person with less brains. These people must be shunned by society. How absurdly this person is behaving.”

These ‘respectable’ guardians staunchly believed in textbook education which would help to get more marks. My dad disliked school textbooks, but what he taught me was truly meaningful.

Now, while talking to myself and frogs, snails, and cats during walks; people think I’m crazy. I remember what dad had taught me at that Chinese restaurant. I rather forget what many ‘respectable’ people had taught me instead.

#Chinese, #food, #NewYork, #USA, #values, #respectablefamily, #frogs, #snails, #cats, #values

https://pixabay.com/photos/noodles-asia-vegetables-chicken-3557592/: Image by RitaE from Pixabay: Picture Courtesy