Coffee Aayita? - 'Had your coffee?' - That's it!! This morning, as I asked my neighbour this question, I realised that I had finally become a true citizen of the Malnad region :)
In these parts, a smile and Coffee Aayita? or Aayita Coffee is equal to 'Hello'/ 'How are you?' elsewhere. Walk down the street - anytime and everybody you meet will ask you Coffee Aayita? ( except lunchtime.. then the question is OoTa aayita) :)
During my initial years here, I would wonder if this is what people here did through the day... and it seemed so! Most houses had a pot of coffee boiling at all times - on a stove fuelled by coal. Every other hour, family members would dip their tumblers into it and drink - like I would drink water!
Not that I mind coffee, but, I prefer tea. And, I'm no 'tea-guzzler' either - 1 BIG cup at around 9.30 a.m (when the house empties) and half a cup at about 4 p.m.- that's all. Whenever anyone asks me Coffee Aayita?, I return the smile and say Aayitu (yes, I have). Sometimes, I'm tempted to shock by saying ' No, I haven't had. Shall I come over?'...have not yet said that! :)
Actually, there has been this one occasion when I have drunk 3-4 cups of coffee within 2 hours, that too, after my regular cup of tea! Ah, that day! Even thinking about it makes me sick! But, I'll brave the feeling, and, share the experience :)
The government school here is more than 120 years old. A couple of years ago, the old students' association funded some renovations. But, before that, they wanted an approximate survey of the existing buildings on campus. One of the old boys, a retired military man, approached me (am a Civil Engineer), and, well, that survey was my contribution to the project (so what if I'm not an old student).
Thus it was that one fine morning, Military man, 2 boys (officially sent out of class to 'hold tape') and me were measuring & noting down ... a tough task when there are absolutely no plans/ records of the existing buildings :(
In addition to the various class rooms, there were about 3-4 offices on campus. Military man entered the first office, ordering (yeah!) me in with him. While the military man & the office man exchanged pleasantries, I simply sat and smiled. The two boys stood out, doing nothing! Much envied boys that day, I'm sure!! First, by their classmates, and, later on, by me!
Pleasantries over, MM said, 'If you are planning on giving us coffee - geefee, you can do so, now'. Ignoring my protests, 5 minutes later, 3 disposable glasses of coffee arrived from one of the nearby canteens....very fresh and aromatic, but, strong, sweet, coffee with very little milk. Post-gulping, we continued, until the next office,...
Very relieved after the survey ended, I came home, feeling quite queasy. And, thoughts of the tough job of straightening out what we had measured wasn't helping me feel better :(
Skipping lunch made me feel better. Still, I didn't venture out that day and THE question wasn't asked. Otherwise, I might have been tempted to answer 'Jeevamaanakke bekaadashtu' - 'Enough to last a life time' :)
In these parts, a smile and Coffee Aayita? or Aayita Coffee is equal to 'Hello'/ 'How are you?' elsewhere. Walk down the street - anytime and everybody you meet will ask you Coffee Aayita? ( except lunchtime.. then the question is OoTa aayita) :)
During my initial years here, I would wonder if this is what people here did through the day... and it seemed so! Most houses had a pot of coffee boiling at all times - on a stove fuelled by coal. Every other hour, family members would dip their tumblers into it and drink - like I would drink water!
Not that I mind coffee, but, I prefer tea. And, I'm no 'tea-guzzler' either - 1 BIG cup at around 9.30 a.m (when the house empties) and half a cup at about 4 p.m.- that's all. Whenever anyone asks me Coffee Aayita?, I return the smile and say Aayitu (yes, I have). Sometimes, I'm tempted to shock by saying ' No, I haven't had. Shall I come over?'...have not yet said that! :)
Actually, there has been this one occasion when I have drunk 3-4 cups of coffee within 2 hours, that too, after my regular cup of tea! Ah, that day! Even thinking about it makes me sick! But, I'll brave the feeling, and, share the experience :)
The government school here is more than 120 years old. A couple of years ago, the old students' association funded some renovations. But, before that, they wanted an approximate survey of the existing buildings on campus. One of the old boys, a retired military man, approached me (am a Civil Engineer), and, well, that survey was my contribution to the project (so what if I'm not an old student).
Thus it was that one fine morning, Military man, 2 boys (officially sent out of class to 'hold tape') and me were measuring & noting down ... a tough task when there are absolutely no plans/ records of the existing buildings :(
In addition to the various class rooms, there were about 3-4 offices on campus. Military man entered the first office, ordering (yeah!) me in with him. While the military man & the office man exchanged pleasantries, I simply sat and smiled. The two boys stood out, doing nothing! Much envied boys that day, I'm sure!! First, by their classmates, and, later on, by me!
Pleasantries over, MM said, 'If you are planning on giving us coffee - geefee, you can do so, now'. Ignoring my protests, 5 minutes later, 3 disposable glasses of coffee arrived from one of the nearby canteens....very fresh and aromatic, but, strong, sweet, coffee with very little milk. Post-gulping, we continued, until the next office,...
Very relieved after the survey ended, I came home, feeling quite queasy. And, thoughts of the tough job of straightening out what we had measured wasn't helping me feel better :(
Skipping lunch made me feel better. Still, I didn't venture out that day and THE question wasn't asked. Otherwise, I might have been tempted to answer 'Jeevamaanakke bekaadashtu' - 'Enough to last a life time' :)
ha ha ha:):):)
ReplyDeleteI too had the similar kind of experience in my NCC Combined Annual Training Camp 4 years back..
thanks for helping me to recall my college days..
ha!ha!ha! One more pleasantry , which I think is generally addressed to women, is "kelasa aayita?", meaning "have you finished your household chores?". My reply is "No", always :) I think I would vote for "coffee aayita?"!
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDelete@MM.. Some people dropped in this evening - to invite us for a function. I offered tea & they declined.... they had spent their day house-hopping and gulping down coffee/ tea/ snacks/ juice/ fruits!!! I didn't punish them further... their situation was definitely worse than our coffee!!
@ Sandhya... Kelasa Aayitha? What a meaningless question!! I'm often asked that question too... My yes/ no depends on my mood!
ha ha :):)
ReplyDeleteWe also have a strong glass of coffee in the morning, and that is all:)One glass of tea in the evening.
ReplyDeleteBut I do remember drinking many cups of coffee in Madikeri long back, it was cold and we enjoyed drinking them, but I couldn't do that here.
But I do prefer decoction coffee to the instant ones.
I had a good experience with coffee in Madikeri. My mother prepares good decoction coffee and my habit is to have a good strong coffee in a moderate sized cup after the breakfast.
ReplyDeleteThen, way back in the late 1970s I was working as lab assistant in a private nursing home in Madikeri. I was alone. So, the resident doctor of the nursing home invited me for the breakfast. His wife served the breakfast along with a tumbler full of coffee. Fearing that the coffee would get cold I first had coffee and then started taking the breakfast. Doctor's wife filled the tumbler again because in their family the practice was to have breakfast with sips of coffee. I finished the coffee again before finishing the breakfast because I did not like to drink a not-so-hot coffee. The doctor's wife filled the tumbler again. Three tumbler full of coffee at one go - can never forget the experience.
It is probably the weather in the Kaapi Naadus that encourages people to guzzle the drink.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you.. filter coffee smells and tastes much better than instant, mocha, capuchino,.....
Arun's experience reminds me of a story I read as a kid - where a guest eats what he does not like first, so that he can enjoy the rest of the food on his plate; but his host thinks that he likes that food (since he ate it first) and repeatedly serves the same thing .... till he is so full that he does not get to eat what he likes :) Wonder if it has a moral ...
ReplyDeleteWell!! I usually eat what I don't like, first!!Thankfully, people don't force-feed their guests these days!!
ReplyDeleteNice info i like it. thanks so Much
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