A Poor Man’s Rich Breakfast

It was yet another Monday morning, I was looking outside the window, a pleasant but gentle breeze hit my face, it was cool as it had rained last night. The road was covered with mud and some puddles of water, beginning to dry as the sun was peeping out of the surface of the earth. The birds started to chirp and fly hither- thither.

Suddenly I realized that I was getting late to work. ‘Hurry-burry’, went back to my room, took bath and got dressed up. Looked at myself in the mirror from top to bottom, ah! I looked like a perfect “Corporate guy” ready to take over the tasks ahead. It was almost 9.30 and my shuttle would come around 10.00 am. I had to rush to have my breakfast and then walk about 5mins to reach the bus stop.

I was there, the big bold letter read ‘Sai Bhavan’, the only place, I have been having breakfast since a year now [way too loyal :D]. this place had nothing special, but the fact that it was the only “Tiffin Center” that falls in between my room and the bus stop. And of-course the food is good too, just like the kind of food I get at Hyderabad. I hurried inside to the counter to take a token.

Right from the time I leave my room till I reach the Tiffin Center, I would always think, as what I would like to eat for breakfast. This place served good south Indian dishes, like Idly Sambar, Pongal, Masala Dosa, Onion Dosa and of course the Karnataka special Bisibela Bath. I was back tracking, as what I had for breakfast the previous day and had concluded that I would take Masala Dosa today.

So I went to the cashier, gave him my usual Good Morning smile, he reciprocated by asking me if I was all set for a new week ahead. Both of us giggled and I was ready to order. Just then, an old man, roughly around 60 years, with three lines of vibhuti on his forehead like any shivaite would have, a cloth bag, in it I could see an old  panchang, he wore a white dhoti and a pair of rubber slippers. He interrupted me and asked the cashier, as how much a plate of idly would cost, the cashier responded 12rs, he thought for a second and asked, how much would a Masala Dosa cost, the cashier promptly replied 24rs. He fell back and I was ready to order. I was about say a word, the old man budged in again and asked if this place served anything around 10Rs, the frustrated cashier, in a harsh tone said that he could get either coffee or tea for 7rs.

I observed a variety of expressions in the old man’s face in less than a few seconds of time. It started off with an angry look, for the harsh reply followed a small spark in the eye that he can have something with the money he had and finally a gulp of saliva, thinking about the stuff he was about to have. He quickly asked the cashier to give him a coffee token. I was totally lost in the old man and his breakfast problems; suddenly the cashier knocked the desk and asked me what I wanted. Back to real time, I ordered a Masala Dosa and Coffee. Took those two tokens and went to the Self-Service counter. There I gave my Masala Dosa token and the guy at the counter shouted to the ‘Dosa Master’ [The so called person in a tiffin center, who can take a broom and clean a dosa tava and then put dosas on the same] “Ondu Masaaaleee.. ”.

Now, I rushed to the Coffee counter, there was my coffee counter friend – John. He sees me every day and he exactly knows how I want my coffee. Just I was about give my token, I saw the old man again. He had given his token and was waiting for his coffee. John, took a steel glass and a saucer, put the glass on the saucer, took some decoction [brewed coffee], poured some of it into the glass, looked at the old man and asked him ‘Sir, Coffee ge Sugar beka?’ [Pardon me for my broken Kannada.] It means, do you need the coffee to be with sugar or without sugar. The old man in a way to prove that he was hale and healthy told ‘Sugar beku appa’. John, quickly opened a hot container of milk, with his metal mug, dipped into it, poured the milk, till the glass was full, and then took the foam that formed in the large milk container and decorated it on top of the glass. The old man eagerly, not even thinking that it was hot, took a quick sip. He swallowed almost 1/4^th of the quantity that was there in the glass. Again I noticed a series of expressions on the man’s face. Starting off, he closed his eyes, while he was drinking. This showed a sense of contentment that he was able to feed the hungry devil inside him, a quick change in expression, that has showed some kind of inconvenience that caused during his gulp and finally an angry and agitated face and the words came out as ‘Swalpa jasthi decoction hagtira coffe ge?’. Which meant, can you please add some more decoction to the coffee? John thought that there was more milk in it, quickly poured some decoction into the glass. There goes the old man again, quickly took a sip and again it was the same expression and in very agitated voice told John, “Swalpa decoction jasthi aggituu, haal aagitara”.  Which meant there was too much decoction, can you add some more milk.  He took some milk and poured it into the glass. Believe me; he poured a good half glass of milk in it.

After pouring the milk, John realized that the old man was playing a prank on him to get more coffee. It took a second more for me to realize the same. The old man saw the expression on John’s face and slowly left the counter. I was absolutely dumbstruck seeing the complete scene. It was my turn I took my coffee and my Dosa was ready. I took the Dosa and Coffee and went to an empty place and started eating. I could see the old man from here. He was enjoying every sip of coffee.

I quickly gulped down the Dosa and coffee, as I was getting late for my shuttle. The old man slowly walked out of that place once he was done with his coffee. The only thing that came to my mind was, would the breakfast he had be sufficient for the old man till he thinks of a way he can actually get some lunch??