Dad’s utility value

I am the ‘bed time story’ person in the family. Recently I was telling an old Indian folk tale in which a man whose family is on hard times decides to do away with his old father. The man takes his father in a bullock cart to the forest – accompanied by his young son.

When they reach a clearing, the man starts digging a grave. The inquisitive little boy soon bugs his father and is told that grandpa is of no use anymore and is a burden on the family. The boy starts digging a hole on his own.  The man asks the little boy what he is doing and is told “When you are old, I don’t want you to wait till I finish digging a grave”. You know the rest of the story …

Well, after the story telling session, I enquired of Nandu on what she would do when I was old. Her reply  - “Acha (father), you would definitely not be in the ‘no use’ category. You make good dosas” J

Vada with a hole!

Kids prefer a world with black and white choices and are pretty simple and quick in their decision making. I was reminded of this recently when we had snacks and tea at a restaurant.

We had been driving around completing shopping chores when it was tea time. We decided to hop into a nearby south Indian restaurant. Nandu indicated before we entered the shop that she wanted to eat ‘Vada’. She raised this in advance as Vada is an oily snack and she wanted to secure the necessary approvals before we entered!

When the waiter was asked about the range of snacks available, he rattled off the list – ‘Medu vada’, ‘Curd Vada’, ‘Sambhar Vada’, ‘Bonda’, ‘Bhajji’ … and a few more.

Nandu’s face fell – she said she wanted the “Vada with a hole”!

In her sharp young mind, the choice was made up before she entered the restaurant. Not swayed by the goodies on offer she was clear on what she wanted and that is what she eventually got as well. For Medu vada is indeed the “Vada with a hole”