"So, 1 McChicken and 1 Mocha Frappe? Any thing else?" she asked from behind her red cap. Eyes glued to monitor.
"No" i handed her my card.
"Your order number is 634. We will call out once the order is ready, sir" she handed me the receipt and my card.
"Thanks. By the way, where am I now?" somehow I always pop this question to at least once during my road trips.
"Sorry?" I think she didn't get my question.
"I mean, what place is this?" I re-phrased.
"Ohhh. wellll we are very near to a city called FireBaugh?" not sure why she stretched the 'well' and ended it with a questioning tone.
"FireBaugh. Ok. How far is LA?" again one of my other favorite questions, if the first question yields a response. Mostly it does.
"LA? well that's kind of far, you see. 4 hours? if you drive fast" she looked up and towards left. I had read somewhere, as per body language experts, that's a sign that a person is trying to re-collect from his memory. A glance to up and right means they are making up things.
"OK" that sounded realistic. My Garmin unit in the car would also say that in the same range.
"Where are you, coming in from?"
"Well, I'm driving in from Fremont"
"Fremont ! many people come across from that place"
"Yeah, this exit is kind of in between, huh? nice place to take a break"
"Yep. so your from India?" she guessed. Bang on.
"Yes" I said grinning.
"Wow, which part?"
"Kolkata?" I too answered in a questioning tone and I skipped the Sardarji's reply of "what which part ji?. Full body from India Ji"
"Oh. is that close to Delhi?" she quickly glanced back and check something.
"New Delhi? nah, its about 1000 miles from my place."
"Jeez, that's not close. Sorry I've only been to Delhi" I think jeez means Jesus.
"Have you been to Delhi?" come-on she just said that. I should have said "you have been to, Delhi?"
"Yeah. I've only been to Delhi. That's your capital, right?"
"Yes. so how long have you been there?" this was interesting. A gori from a far off place that's in middle of nowhere have been to MY country.
"Last winter. I was backpacking there for 3 months" again a glance to left and above.
"3 months in Delhi? that's a lot of time." I said a matter-of-factly.
"No we did went around. We visited Ganges, and then went trekking in Himalayas" gang-jes, even ganga name sounded foreign in her accent she adjusted her cap and re-positioned her pony tail.
"Oh that must have been in Haridwar or Rishikesh?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Wow. that must have been fun"
"Yeah. especially bus ride from Delhi to Rishikesh and river rafting on gang-jes" really? is that a fair comparison? I hardly would have found a bus ride and river rafting to be equally exciting.
"Wow. that must have been fun" I immediately realized that I used the same line again.
"Yes. your order is here Sir" she handed me a tray with my order.
"Oh thank you. nice chatting with you"
"See you around" I bet she didn't mean it.
I turned around and heard "I can help the next customer" she got busy.
I walked to pick up napkins, and walked to an empty high chair. I looked around and she was helping another guy with his order. Again the almost robotic "your order number is 635, we will call out once the order is ready"
The guy took his receipt and card and walked to an empty high chair near me. I took a bite and he looked at the digital display. 634, it still read. He seemed bored. He went to his pocket and out came an iPhone. Squeezed the base with his thumb and index finger, and bought it closer to his mouth and spoke into it "Siri ! where am I"
A second later siri responded "you are, in, Firebaugh, California".
I took another bite and a sip of my frappe.
"No" i handed her my card.
"Your order number is 634. We will call out once the order is ready, sir" she handed me the receipt and my card.
"Thanks. By the way, where am I now?" somehow I always pop this question to at least once during my road trips.
"Sorry?" I think she didn't get my question.
"I mean, what place is this?" I re-phrased.
"Ohhh. wellll we are very near to a city called FireBaugh?" not sure why she stretched the 'well' and ended it with a questioning tone.
"FireBaugh. Ok. How far is LA?" again one of my other favorite questions, if the first question yields a response. Mostly it does.
"LA? well that's kind of far, you see. 4 hours? if you drive fast" she looked up and towards left. I had read somewhere, as per body language experts, that's a sign that a person is trying to re-collect from his memory. A glance to up and right means they are making up things.
"OK" that sounded realistic. My Garmin unit in the car would also say that in the same range.
"Where are you, coming in from?"
"Well, I'm driving in from Fremont"
"Fremont ! many people come across from that place"
"Yeah, this exit is kind of in between, huh? nice place to take a break"
"Yep. so your from India?" she guessed. Bang on.
"Yes" I said grinning.
"Wow, which part?"
"Kolkata?" I too answered in a questioning tone and I skipped the Sardarji's reply of "what which part ji?. Full body from India Ji"
"Oh. is that close to Delhi?" she quickly glanced back and check something.
"New Delhi? nah, its about 1000 miles from my place."
"Jeez, that's not close. Sorry I've only been to Delhi" I think jeez means Jesus.
"Have you been to Delhi?" come-on she just said that. I should have said "you have been to, Delhi?"
"Yeah. I've only been to Delhi. That's your capital, right?"
"Yes. so how long have you been there?" this was interesting. A gori from a far off place that's in middle of nowhere have been to MY country.
"Last winter. I was backpacking there for 3 months" again a glance to left and above.
"3 months in Delhi? that's a lot of time." I said a matter-of-factly.
"No we did went around. We visited Ganges, and then went trekking in Himalayas" gang-jes, even ganga name sounded foreign in her accent she adjusted her cap and re-positioned her pony tail.
"Oh that must have been in Haridwar or Rishikesh?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Wow. that must have been fun"
"Yeah. especially bus ride from Delhi to Rishikesh and river rafting on gang-jes" really? is that a fair comparison? I hardly would have found a bus ride and river rafting to be equally exciting.
"Wow. that must have been fun" I immediately realized that I used the same line again.
"Yes. your order is here Sir" she handed me a tray with my order.
"Oh thank you. nice chatting with you"
"See you around" I bet she didn't mean it.
I turned around and heard "I can help the next customer" she got busy.
I walked to pick up napkins, and walked to an empty high chair. I looked around and she was helping another guy with his order. Again the almost robotic "your order number is 635, we will call out once the order is ready"
The guy took his receipt and card and walked to an empty high chair near me. I took a bite and he looked at the digital display. 634, it still read. He seemed bored. He went to his pocket and out came an iPhone. Squeezed the base with his thumb and index finger, and bought it closer to his mouth and spoke into it "Siri ! where am I"
A second later siri responded "you are, in, Firebaugh, California".
I took another bite and a sip of my frappe.