Sometimes, you are forced to act the snob, not because you enjoy it but because someone will corner you with either his/her stupidity or try to impress upon you that you possibly cannot know better and do not know what you are looking for. The following happened at a 'Wine & Beer Shop' in Delhi. I am yet to come to terms with it.
So, this afternoon, I thought I would shop for things that I have been postponing for quite a while now. Anyway, off I hopped to the nearest shopping mall, bought all I needed and was headed out when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the board, 'Wine & Beer Shop'. All right, just what one needed for the hot summer afternoon. I thought I'd stock up some Wine & Beer, and entered the deserted store.
There was hardly any customer, and it seemed I'd sauntered into the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, the draw of beer was too alluring to rush out of this ominous trap now. So quickly, I picked up some beer, and then stopped at their wines section.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone yelled, "Sir, ye wine hai (Sir, these are wines)."
To which I replied, as politely as I could manage, "Pata hai, isi liye dekh rahe hain. (I know. Hence, I am browsing this section)."
The man's tone changed, and he started yelling instructions to his store boys, "Sir ko wines batao. (Show sir some wines)."
And almost immediately, a pimply bhai saheb parked himself next to me, to 'show' me their wine selection.
I tried to resist, but then gave in, and asked him, "Zinfandel?"
His eyes went wide, and he retorted, "Gin? Wo to udhar hai. (It's on the other shelf)."
"No, no," I was a little exasperated now, "ZINFANDEL. Or Rosé?"
"Hain (huh)?" He went even more quizzical.
"Rose?" I said, making sure the sneer is obvious.
"Oh, rose wine hai na (Oh, we have rose wine.)," pat came the response. He then handed me a bottle.
I took it, turned it around a couple of times, and asked, "What year?"
"I didn't ask for the price, I asked what year... how old is this wine?"
"Sir year toh whiskey mein hota hai. Ye toh ekdum nayi wine hai. (Sir, years are applicable to whiskeys, this is the latest wine," the man said, with such pride that his chest was about to burst out of his shirt. That would have been the ugliest sight in the world.
At this, I beamed, pricking his big bubble and showed him where the year was printed on the label. "You see, here it is." I had a nagging urge to tell them - next time, don't assume all your customers are ignoramuses like yourself - but stopped short.
I picked up what I wanted, paid and stepped out of the shop, nothing achieved really.
So, this afternoon, I thought I would shop for things that I have been postponing for quite a while now. Anyway, off I hopped to the nearest shopping mall, bought all I needed and was headed out when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the board, 'Wine & Beer Shop'. All right, just what one needed for the hot summer afternoon. I thought I'd stock up some Wine & Beer, and entered the deserted store.
There was hardly any customer, and it seemed I'd sauntered into the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, the draw of beer was too alluring to rush out of this ominous trap now. So quickly, I picked up some beer, and then stopped at their wines section.
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| Duh! Wine. |
To which I replied, as politely as I could manage, "Pata hai, isi liye dekh rahe hain. (I know. Hence, I am browsing this section)."
The man's tone changed, and he started yelling instructions to his store boys, "Sir ko wines batao. (Show sir some wines)."
And almost immediately, a pimply bhai saheb parked himself next to me, to 'show' me their wine selection.
I tried to resist, but then gave in, and asked him, "Zinfandel?"
His eyes went wide, and he retorted, "Gin? Wo to udhar hai. (It's on the other shelf)."
"No, no," I was a little exasperated now, "ZINFANDEL. Or Rosé?"
"Hain (huh)?" He went even more quizzical.
"Rose?" I said, making sure the sneer is obvious.
"Oh, rose wine hai na (Oh, we have rose wine.)," pat came the response. He then handed me a bottle.
I took it, turned it around a couple of times, and asked, "What year?"
"Sir only XYZ rupees."
"I didn't ask for the price, I asked what year... how old is this wine?"
"Sir year toh whiskey mein hota hai. Ye toh ekdum nayi wine hai. (Sir, years are applicable to whiskeys, this is the latest wine," the man said, with such pride that his chest was about to burst out of his shirt. That would have been the ugliest sight in the world.
At this, I beamed, pricking his big bubble and showed him where the year was printed on the label. "You see, here it is." I had a nagging urge to tell them - next time, don't assume all your customers are ignoramuses like yourself - but stopped short.
I picked up what I wanted, paid and stepped out of the shop, nothing achieved really.
