Pushing it !

“Try the pineapple juice”. We have been advised. Many times over, by well intentioned friends. Mustafa seems waiting for us today. A juice vendor on a side street at the heart of Mumbai , he indeed is proving to be quite an attraction ! And so is his offering. Almost as proof, a crowd gathers.

That he does something to his offering is evident. Tossing up the oranges before they go into the juicer. Pouring milk from the packet. Actually squeezing it from about three feet away, straight into the mixer. Seriously. No typos there. From three feet away !

Customers ask for more. We wonder if the lip smacking taste comes from the the showmanship of the man or the freshness of the fruit ! Perhaps its just his talent in weaving it all together.

At other times, there isnt space for wondering, for we are busy taking gluttonous gulps as the juice disappears from our glasses with the suddenness of a power shut
down ! Its obvious that there are regulars. And if the local gossip is to be believed, there are a steady stream of ‘office types’ girls who gather to see his 3 ft milk show !!

Lets leave the showmanship and the taste to the others for now. Focus on item NO: 3 on his menu !


For all his showmanship, there seems to be a philosopher lurking in him. For sure, he didn’t put this up to get a blooper spotting blogger excited. This goes beyond. Think about this.

What has the man done ? ‘Pineapple’ has been spelt ‘Painapple’ ! Sure. You are saying ‘this could be a spell error’. Sure.

“But doesn’t ‘Pine’ lead to ‘Pain’ !”, i spout, licking the remnants of juice from the corners of the lips. Spouting the grand ‘pine-pain philosophy’ to the missus.

What follows is stare. With an intensity that only seems to grow. Like a cyclone warning flag going up in slow motion ! A cyclone of the highest intensity. A stare that seems to mean ‘ one more word and anything about this on the blog….and you have had it’

‘In the new year’, i had promised, that i will ‘push’! That statement had the missus letting go a half smile. So here i am. Pushing my luck !!

But this ‘Pine’ leading to ‘Pain’ bit…makes sense, no ? Watsay ?

20 thoughts on “Pushing it !

  1. bodaat says:

    “painapple” – i love it!!

  2. Isn’t there ganne ka juice anywhere there?

  3. GregoryJ says:

    I don’t get the pine – pain connection……

  4. Eyes looking into eyes
    they hover
    on the
    circumference
    of the crowd
    at the juicewallah….
    Blending their memories
    with the
    whir of the
    blades
    amidst the
    fruit
    and an
    acrobatic
    throw of milk….

    Early days,
    Musambi and Orange days,
    little flakes of apple
    “kheering”
    the milk,
    summer evenings,
    cooled
    by melons and milk
    following bhel….

    The crowd moves,
    they reach ahead,
    lost
    in their memories….
    When she left
    to go
    one summer,
    and he ,
    lost and forlorn
    faced Musthafa,
    pining ,
    lonely,
    a pained glance
    at the Menu….

    “Menu changed
    just for you, saab….
    Have Painapple ,
    “Viraha” special,
    No more Pine-ing…..
    And when she returns,
    I’ll do
    a special Cocktail
    for both of you…..”

  5. Lip smacking pains amy be forgiven

  6. Insignia says:

    So much for the pine-pain apple?
    Pine does leads to Pain….but not always, isnt it?

    ” spout, licking the remnants of juice from the corners of the lips.” says Pine leads to Satisfaction

    🙂

  7. Neha says:

    Mustaf sounds like one talent package..hmmm..

    Kavi – missus se panga – u will get pain only na..good luck for that..

  8. I didn’t get the pain-pine connection either…
    But here’s something atrocious I saw on a textile shops flex board.
    It said – NAKSHATRA the outsit of your choice.

    Yes, you saw it right. Outsit. 😀

  9. manju says:

    How come you get to witness all these fun things, Kavi? Or is it just that we don’t notice?

    ‘Painapple’- Mustafa is very perceptive!

  10. Nachi says:

    you can stand up to the missus bro. so keep pushing it!!

    as for the pine-pain philosophy. laagta hai, some jungle-o-mein lost philosopher took a nasty fall from atop a pine tree. phir woh chadaa apple tree pe, lekin wahan se bhi gir paada…saale, the pine & apples were painful!!

    for now, ek pineapple juice chalega mere ko…

    🙂

  11. Swatantra says:

    Cute post!!

    No Panga with woman..

  12. witsnnuts says:

    showmanship – now i get reminded of our tea shops here, they like pour the tea from a very high altitude. from somewhere very close to the lizard resting next to the tubelight in the shop.

    And that blooper was good. !! I somehow feel u r giving me a tough competition in the bloopersphere !!
    just kidding.

    Cheers!!

  13. Aparna says:

    Considering the prices of fruits these days, why just apple, all fruits should have that prefix. Mustafa is one wise guy.

  14. Lou says:

    I see many examples of misspelling (or carelessness?) Grammar and the written word are taking a beating these days!

  15. aativas says:

    Interesting observation and interpretation.

  16. You know the art of writing about a spelling mistake.

    Quite interesting to see about the ‘painful’ spelling mistake. We can pardon the fruitwallah’s mistake when compared to so called Software Engineers… God.. I need to write a post every day.

  17. sujata says:

    Hey Kavi Happy New Year!! Given a choice I would never have fruits apart from maybe a watermelon slice in the summer afternoons. But I guess the prices do pinch and that leads to the pain!!

  18. lol..its apple in pain!!

  19. radha says:

    LOL. Or is he refering to the apple from the garden of eden – that led to the pining and the pain.

  20. dinu says:

    PAIN APPLE ????????????? LOL

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.