#5 - My latest romantic notion
Buying tomatoes from a local vendor in Rajasthan has been on my mind.
I meant to talk about gratitude in October, but this thought about tomatoes isn’t escaping me.
~ And when in doubt or when we want to let go of thoughts, we write. ~
I’ve been back in Dubai 5 days now, and one of the first things I usually have to do after some time away is stock up the pantry. After my last two trips back though, there’s been a sense of just not wanting to do it.
When I came back from Malawi in August, I blamed it on being away from nature.
This time being back from Rajasthan, I’m blaming it on the local vendors in Jodhpur who proudly displayed their selections of fresh fruits and vegetables. The key word here being: FRESH.
Our local guide told us that apparently they buy their fresh produce once every 2 to 3 days, partly because of accessibility, and partly to keep maintaining the wholesomeness of their produce.
Do you know how often I stock up groceries here in Dubai? Once a week. Which isn’t too bad all things considered I suppose - I don’t know, is it? - but given that the majority of produce is imported into Dubai, I can’t help but compare the freshness of the produce from here to what a local vendor in Jodhpur would be selling, probably from their very own farms and homes.
I keep replaying this scene in my mind:
Masses of stalls in front of me. A really warm and dry morning, and the sun at 10am beating hot on my skin. There’s the Clock Tower nearby - a popular tourist attraction in the city of Jodhpur - and the stalls are an array of clothes on one side, with fresh fruits and vegetables on the other.
For the first time in Rajasthan, I turned to see the local produce. I say ‘first time’ because I’ve developed a real soft spot for clothes and jewellery. Yet even from the distance I was at, I could see how absolutely divine the vegetables looked.
They gleamed fresh.
They shined with so much temptation that all I wanted to do was pick up some veggies and get to cooking my ever-favourite Paneer dishes.
It’s gotten to the point that I have now romanticised this notion - picking up fruits and vegetables from the local vendor, bantering and creating conversation - that the prospect of going to the mall here to pick up my weekly supply has me feeling dull and lifeless.
It feels ridiculous.
But I know that it’s not the case.
Humans thrive on connections. The small simple ones, as well as the more meaningful and deep ones. I genuinely believe that even the smallest of ‘hellos’ and small talk can brighten someone’s day, and that’s something I’ve especially noticed out on my morning walks here in Dubai.
Connection even in its simplest of forms is so wholesome.
What are some of the simple conversations you enjoy?
I’ve had two incidents this week that I can recollect that have just made my heart bloom.
The first is heading to pick up coffee and a sandwich on a rainy morning in Dubai (the weather is finally changing here baby!), and I created conversation with the local barista. And the smile he had on his face when I told him I hoped he had a good day was just… Enormous. And so, so heartwarming.
The second is going to a cafe near my house to pick up some ice-cream, and the waiter told me - hands lifted in mock defense - that he had to tell me how beautiful I looked that day.
It made me smile so big.
Because it came straight from the heart.
I hope that something in this piece made you smile.
I hope you can think of doing something small for someone to make them smile.
And I hope in turn it makes your heart bloom.
With so much love and a bucket-load of sunshine,
Athira
P.s. I just realised I’ve been meaning to pick up some groceries today and I still haven’t.
Dammit.