Indians have a reputation for being cheap, at least that's what I gather from my endless hours of watching Russell Peters hilariously rip apart my most variegated of civilizations.
My limited knowledge about outsider's views about my culture is limited to a few film and stand-up comedy stereotypes. Be it the sing-song accent, the hairiness, the malodour and the fact that we're all either doctors or engineers, all our idiosyncrasies have been covered, yet for the life of me, I never could identify with them.
Showing off my new pair of over-priced headphones, I expected a reprimanding "why did you spend so much money on these?", instead I got a matter-of -fact "Shaa...we could have bought 12 kilos of chicken, with that much of money men"... as though the sudden comparison of my headphones to fowl would make me see the error of my ways.
My limited knowledge about outsider's views about my culture is limited to a few film and stand-up comedy stereotypes. Be it the sing-song accent, the hairiness, the malodour and the fact that we're all either doctors or engineers, all our idiosyncrasies have been covered, yet for the life of me, I never could identify with them.
I probably laughed harder, than the American Joe who was watching the same show half a globe away, but I never connected to it, I never thought we were cheap until it hit me like a frozen venky's broiler.
I realized that my parents, like a lot of other goans, used meat as a measure of expense!
I realized that my parents, like a lot of other goans, used meat as a measure of expense!
Showing off my new pair of over-priced headphones, I expected a reprimanding "why did you spend so much money on these?", instead I got a matter-of -fact "Shaa...we could have bought 12 kilos of chicken, with that much of money men"... as though the sudden comparison of my headphones to fowl would make me see the error of my ways.
Every goan child knows what I'm talking about, if not chicken, maybe venison, beef, or pork our expenditure is assessed by the current retail rate of the meat of the season
If I took it a little further, just a teensie bit, imagine what the conversation between messrs X and Y would be like...
X: "Nice phone men. How much?"
X: "Nice phone men. How much?"
Y: "40 kilos of chicken re!"
X: "40 kilos?! What a rip off! I could've got it for 39 kilos men...that too boneless!"
Y: "Arre I bought it when bird flu was there re...no one was wanting to buy it that time"
X: "Ah, smart fellow men!"
Gotta love our faithfulness to the barter system men!
X: "40 kilos?! What a rip off! I could've got it for 39 kilos men...that too boneless!"
Y: "Arre I bought it when bird flu was there re...no one was wanting to buy it that time"
X: "Ah, smart fellow men!"
Gotta love our faithfulness to the barter system men!
