(Friends, I forgot to write the
final para in my last post about the ‘Master Lock’ at Laverton – so I am
posting it separately here.)
On my first day at Laverton, I went
for lunch to the Air Force Officers’ Mess. On entering and scanning the ‘set up’
I realized that the dining hall had tables set for four to six persons. At the
far end, there were service counters – one of which had two large soup
containers with soup plates stacked neatly next to them. So I walked to the
counter and helped my self to a plateful of tomato soup (whose viscosity was much
higher than any soup I had partaken back home. Then I walked to a table for
four, kept my soup plate on it and sat down to enjoy the soup. I then noticed
that each table had a large jug full of orange squash (not water). So after I
gulped the last spoon of the delicious and thick soup, I also had half a glass
of orang squash from the jug. Now I was feeling quite full and contemplating my
next step when a rather good looking waitress smartly dressed in Air Force
uniform, approached me and held a menu fixed in a post card size frame square
to my eyes. I was overwhelmed with the respect and deference thus displayed and
scanned the menu to order just the dish keeping my balance appetite. Somehow, I
could not comprehend any of the dishes mentioned therein except the word ‘lamb’
in one of them. Hence, reluctantly, but with full authority, I told her that I
would have the dish with the lamb in it.
She went to the kitchen and
returned in ten minutes with a plate full of a medium sized (Indian standard) heap
of rice in the middle. A rather liberal serving of lamb curry was poured over
the rice and boiled corn, peas, broccoli and carrots were used for decorating
the dish all around. I relished the dish happy with the thought that I was not
eating beef or pork mistakenly and also helped my self with another glass of
orange squash through the process. At this stage, I was fuller than I had ever
been and wiped my lips delicately with the perfectly starched white napkin and
closed the plate formally.
When the beautiful young waitress
took the plate away, I pushed my chair back and took the first step towards the
service counter where I had earlier noticed that two varieties of ice cream
were also on the menu for the day. At this moment, the waitress half ran
towards me shouting, “Sir, Sir, wouldn’t you order your mine (main) course now?”
In my deep satisfaction with the lamb
curry and rice, I had not realized that what I had just had was only the entrée
– the main course was yet to be ordered and served. I thanked the girl and said
no, I had a low appetite and was done for the day. I then went to the ice cream
counter and helped my self for a bowl of butter scotch and then walked out of
the dining hall thinking how to have the ‘mine’ course during my next meal
there.
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