Oh yeah!

By Alan Saldanha

There are two things Canadians can talk about at short notice: the weather and ice hockey.

I have always been an ardent follower of field hockey which is much slower, artistic and less boisterous, and hence, I prefer to talk about the weather.

There was a time I used to plod on in Indian fashion about all and sundry. After a while, I realized that I was telling the white Canadian more than he needed to know and that all he remarked was a incessant series of: `` Oh yeah! Oh yeah!”

That’s when I too started talking vaguely about the weather.

But this weather thing has always intrigued me. So I asked a Punjabi friend of mine why it was so. Why do Canadians lay so much emphasis on the weather?

To that, he replied: ``Arrae, yaar, weather mae kissi kaa laenaa daenaa nahin hai!”(There is nothing to lose or gain in talking about the weather!)

It was only then that I realized how true it was. Weather, as a topic of conversation, does not encroach on one’s personal space.

Ethnic Indians almost invariably ask you about your wage ― especially if you too are Indo-Canadian. That is their hallmark. That way, they place you on a scale. For example, he as a seventh grader from India now earns sixteen dollars an hour decapitating chickens in cold blood, whereas you ― with your master’s degree earn minimum wage.

We in India like to talk about our achievements at large. We like to impress. We even throw in a generous dose of our family achievements. To that I would very often come across a `` Good for you!”

That remark is often made in a sing-song manner with the neck slanting to one side with a slight elevation of one eyebrow. If the news you have announced is very good you might have to watch for other signs to assess the genuineness. But we are all human: We don’t particularly rejoice when we hear good news as related by others.

But the crux of the matter is why blabber so much? Much rather you get the other person to talk.

And talk, he or she will ― about the weather.

Then Canadians also talk about Indian food. That’s when you hear frequent mention of the word ``Awesome.” The net result is that you are going to actually give him a sample of your fare or even so much as invite him home for a hearty East Indian meal.

Gosh! White people love Indian food. Actually, they love just about any food. This also has associated hues one can reflect on: Britain’s Prince Philip, for example, once blurted out, ``White women can’t cook!”

I am not endorsing what he said. However, when ethnic Indians lament about not being invited in return for dinner by Caucasian Canadians they ought to give them a margin if only for the possibility that Prince Philip was right.

Canadians think that the samosa is an Indian national symbol. But that is not true. Indian cuisine is diverse and way better than what Canadians are familiar with. Ever heard of murgh makkhani or Andhra biryani?

But the one thing that stands out is the butter chicken they relished at Bhupinder’s wedding.

Incidentally, the same white Canadians were on the verge of thanking Bhupinder’s parents at the reception and making an exit after the snacks ― at which stage they were reminded that dinner was yet to be served!

That is how they learned about butter chicken!

The writer is the publisher of Daywatch newspaper in Surrey, British Columbia. He can be reached at daywatchnewspaper@gmail.com.