Jugaad => You should be OK with any food Sir!
Late spring this year on 20th March 2013, I took an early flight from Delhi to Chennai on Jet Airways during a short trip to India. It was my fifth time to transit via the Delhi airport after its renovation. Thanks to the new transit hotels at the airport as I could have a good sleep and a shower to keep me fresh. Normally, my day doesn't start without my sandhyavandanam and morning prayer with me giving a fresh look with my thilak in my forehead. I have been doing it form the age of 14 and continuing everywhere I have lived. Over a transit, I do my routines without any thilak in my forehead. The check-in, security and the corridors after the security was loud and busy. Certainly, Indians have to start speaking softer or inset some silencers in their throat. After a brisk morning walk over the long & loud corridors even at early morning, I reached the gate & further there was a long zigzag route that took me into the flight. We Indians would have cribbed if one had to do the same walking before the airport renovation. Thanks to the Airport ambiance that did keep every passenger silent.
Inside the flight, there were smart stewards. One of them was were busy telling the passenger that he would arrange the overhead compartment so that he would ensure all the odd sized luggage would be fitted inside. He told the other steward to do the same so that the passengers would not block the one body width walking space & make room for the rest of the passengers to get to their seats. Well that was a smart move and it was good customer service by the steward. I had a middle seat as I never did any internet check-in this time. I would normally take a seat near the exit to quickly escape after landing.
We reached the skies smoothly after a long taxi to the runway. The domestic flights didn't have any individual video screen and I had the newspaper which I picked up during checkin for the initial one hour. I was then left out to gaze the ambiance. It was time for some refreshments. Well they serve breakfast in this flight. Over a few seats in front of me when the food was being served, I heard the steward on the left. He was asking "What would you like to have for the breakfast sir/mam?". A typical question, he would ask every every passenger flight over flights. When the response was vegetarian food he was mentioning sorry to the passengers that the vegetarian food is exhausted and he asked then if they can have any non-vegetarian food. On the right, it was the same situation, but this guy was smarter. Probably, he never wanted to say sorry to every vegetarian choice select passenger. He had an different approach. He had very few vegetarian food left with him. Probably, He wanted to reserve it only for the needy passengers. I noticed that he took a glance at the passenger and with his charming elegant accent he dodged every passenger "You should be fine with non-vegetarian food. We have chicken and fish for the day. What do you like to choose?". Even when the reply was "do you have any vegetarian?", he dodged them again "Is chicken or fish completely unacceptable with you?". Well, I could see that most settled with chicken or fish. But, he did not dodge a selected few when they asked him for vegetarian. Well, it was smart enough that he could sense this out of the passenger. He was experience to know whom he can push and whom to give away. After trying out for few seats, he signed the other steward to the back whispering "Jugaad hai...aaja"and I could later see both of the trying to do the same though the former was trying out very confidently.
I was amazed at the very attitude of the Indian passengers and the approach took by the steward. At one end, every passenger requested vegetarian by default even though they were comfortable with non-vegetarians. Probably, they want to have a light meal in the flight or they might have thought of requesting non-vegetarian would give a bad aura about him to the adjacent passengers or requesting vegetarian is more elegant. The steward was on top of his job in taming the passengers. Probably, this situation was a usual for him that he had developed the tactic of judging the passenger over a single scan to check how much he can dodge him in the request.
I never imagined that I should have ordered an Indian vegetarian meal in the domestic flight. I took it for granted. I am strict vegetarian. I could have moved off without a meal as I would reach my home within minutes form the airport for a good home food. But, the steward increased my inquisitiveness about his judgment on me.
In the same row as mine near the window, there was foreigner and I presume he was a south korean. My judgment on the Japanese,koreans and chinese have improved with my long stay in Japan. When the steward rightly dodged him for non-vegetarian, he took time to prepare his English statement and said "vegetarian please". The steward went ahead with his second dodging statement. This time the south korean replied "No food thank you." Assuming that he has not properly communicated with the south korean, the steward change his tongue to american accent and then dodged him once again for the non-vegetarian food. This time the south korean was sharp in his reply and said "I am a vegetarian." Well, the steward would have thought that as a good bouncer but he did not offer him any food. He said he will check & come back later.The south korean reaction did puzzle me as he was munching a non-vegetarian snack before the which has chicken in his hand. Probably, some do & don't that he would have read about India would have advised him to stick to vegetarian food throughout his stay.
After a few passengers, it was my turn. I gave a face -face look and the steward went ahead with his formula of persuading for non-vegetarian. Probably, if I had my thilak he would have only offered vegetarian without much discussion. My one quick question to him was "I am vegetarian and why did you judge me as a non-veg?" I had to ask him out for my own mental peace. The steward was quick enough to reply with a smile " I suppose you are an NRI and I thought you should be comfortable with any food Sir ". I never wanted ask him as what made him judge me as a NRI & by that time I had no doubts about his judgment on people as he has mastered it as a part of his job. Though I went on & told him to offer vegetarian food or I am fine with nothing. He said he will check & come back later.
He went on with his formula and after one full round of serving, he came back with the vegetarian set food one by one to the guys like me who insisted vegetarian food.
"Jugaad"-I had used it very much When I was working in Delhi but never used it for very many years now. It took me to very many memories of my life in Delhi and good jolt brought me back to reality when I realized I have reached Chennai. Well, it was a nice trip to remember,write and share across. It did really tell me "Welcome to India!".
Inside the flight, there were smart stewards. One of them was were busy telling the passenger that he would arrange the overhead compartment so that he would ensure all the odd sized luggage would be fitted inside. He told the other steward to do the same so that the passengers would not block the one body width walking space & make room for the rest of the passengers to get to their seats. Well that was a smart move and it was good customer service by the steward. I had a middle seat as I never did any internet check-in this time. I would normally take a seat near the exit to quickly escape after landing.
We reached the skies smoothly after a long taxi to the runway. The domestic flights didn't have any individual video screen and I had the newspaper which I picked up during checkin for the initial one hour. I was then left out to gaze the ambiance. It was time for some refreshments. Well they serve breakfast in this flight. Over a few seats in front of me when the food was being served, I heard the steward on the left. He was asking "What would you like to have for the breakfast sir/mam?". A typical question, he would ask every every passenger flight over flights. When the response was vegetarian food he was mentioning sorry to the passengers that the vegetarian food is exhausted and he asked then if they can have any non-vegetarian food. On the right, it was the same situation, but this guy was smarter. Probably, he never wanted to say sorry to every vegetarian choice select passenger. He had an different approach. He had very few vegetarian food left with him. Probably, He wanted to reserve it only for the needy passengers. I noticed that he took a glance at the passenger and with his charming elegant accent he dodged every passenger "You should be fine with non-vegetarian food. We have chicken and fish for the day. What do you like to choose?". Even when the reply was "do you have any vegetarian?", he dodged them again "Is chicken or fish completely unacceptable with you?". Well, I could see that most settled with chicken or fish. But, he did not dodge a selected few when they asked him for vegetarian. Well, it was smart enough that he could sense this out of the passenger. He was experience to know whom he can push and whom to give away. After trying out for few seats, he signed the other steward to the back whispering "Jugaad hai...aaja"and I could later see both of the trying to do the same though the former was trying out very confidently.
I was amazed at the very attitude of the Indian passengers and the approach took by the steward. At one end, every passenger requested vegetarian by default even though they were comfortable with non-vegetarians. Probably, they want to have a light meal in the flight or they might have thought of requesting non-vegetarian would give a bad aura about him to the adjacent passengers or requesting vegetarian is more elegant. The steward was on top of his job in taming the passengers. Probably, this situation was a usual for him that he had developed the tactic of judging the passenger over a single scan to check how much he can dodge him in the request.
I never imagined that I should have ordered an Indian vegetarian meal in the domestic flight. I took it for granted. I am strict vegetarian. I could have moved off without a meal as I would reach my home within minutes form the airport for a good home food. But, the steward increased my inquisitiveness about his judgment on me.
In the same row as mine near the window, there was foreigner and I presume he was a south korean. My judgment on the Japanese,koreans and chinese have improved with my long stay in Japan. When the steward rightly dodged him for non-vegetarian, he took time to prepare his English statement and said "vegetarian please". The steward went ahead with his second dodging statement. This time the south korean replied "No food thank you." Assuming that he has not properly communicated with the south korean, the steward change his tongue to american accent and then dodged him once again for the non-vegetarian food. This time the south korean was sharp in his reply and said "I am a vegetarian." Well, the steward would have thought that as a good bouncer but he did not offer him any food. He said he will check & come back later.The south korean reaction did puzzle me as he was munching a non-vegetarian snack before the which has chicken in his hand. Probably, some do & don't that he would have read about India would have advised him to stick to vegetarian food throughout his stay.
After a few passengers, it was my turn. I gave a face -face look and the steward went ahead with his formula of persuading for non-vegetarian. Probably, if I had my thilak he would have only offered vegetarian without much discussion. My one quick question to him was "I am vegetarian and why did you judge me as a non-veg?" I had to ask him out for my own mental peace. The steward was quick enough to reply with a smile " I suppose you are an NRI and I thought you should be comfortable with any food Sir ". I never wanted ask him as what made him judge me as a NRI & by that time I had no doubts about his judgment on people as he has mastered it as a part of his job. Though I went on & told him to offer vegetarian food or I am fine with nothing. He said he will check & come back later.
He went on with his formula and after one full round of serving, he came back with the vegetarian set food one by one to the guys like me who insisted vegetarian food.
"Jugaad"-I had used it very much When I was working in Delhi but never used it for very many years now. It took me to very many memories of my life in Delhi and good jolt brought me back to reality when I realized I have reached Chennai. Well, it was a nice trip to remember,write and share across. It did really tell me "Welcome to India!".
posted by Unknown @ 3:51 PM
