A hot day today again, after all the thunder and rain of last night. It's Saturday, so time to venture out for some new experiences. Not many of them are shocking, but it gives an idea of everyday life for a foreigner like me.
When I walk to the central MG road in Gurgaon, approximately 15 minutes from my place, I pass quite nice houses. Many are being constructed and what immediately attracts the attention are the women who are carrying the bricks on their heads to the site. Not uncommon here, I know, but still, a little weird for me walking by with a bag of groceries, books & DVD's (on the way back that was).
I decided to visit some new malls, the ones where once again it becomes very clear how the world is merging into one big eating & shopping paradise. McDonald's, TGIF, KFC, Pizza Hut, Levi's, Lacoste, Hillfiger, Adidas, Canon, Nokia, Blackberry etc. etc. etc.
Funny how we measure civilization....
Of course, I do not have big problems with that, because I went to TGIF for a chickenburger, a Mojito (alcoholic one this time) and a brownie/ice-cream. Hmmmmmmm. For this I paid 25 EUR. One of the more expensive lunches to be honest. Would I have chosen an Indian one it would have been 4 times less (and maybe also more healthy).
Wine, unfortunately, is an expensive item in India. Comparable what it used to be in Russia up untill a couple of years ago. At TGIF you pay an approximate 40 EUR for an imported bottle. And to my big surprise, minors up untill 25 (!) cannot consume alcohol here. Now, India has a double standard concerning alcohol anyway. In many restaurants they don't serve it and supermarkets do not sell it. So where do you buy your favorite beers, wines, whiskeys and what more? Right, at specialized shops that are spread out along the main roads. In Delhi they close at 22pm, in Gurgaon a little later, but then again, you can actually buy whatever you want 24/7. Even when the shop seems completely closed, a tiny little window, just enough for a bottle to pass through, is always open.
In the evenings and during the night, you can see cars standing near these shops, people lining up to buy their drinks. And then they drive... With families living together in one house and mothers, fathers, wives being not to keen to see their kids and husbands drink, where else can the latter go?
Anyway, today I bought myself a nice bottle of wine for 17 EUR. With which they did not allow me to go inside the mall, so I brought it back to the place I bought it from to pick it up later.
The supermarket is actually nothing special, so just see for yourself if you recognize all the vegetables and other stuff they sell there.
When I walk to the central MG road in Gurgaon, approximately 15 minutes from my place, I pass quite nice houses. Many are being constructed and what immediately attracts the attention are the women who are carrying the bricks on their heads to the site. Not uncommon here, I know, but still, a little weird for me walking by with a bag of groceries, books & DVD's (on the way back that was).
I decided to visit some new malls, the ones where once again it becomes very clear how the world is merging into one big eating & shopping paradise. McDonald's, TGIF, KFC, Pizza Hut, Levi's, Lacoste, Hillfiger, Adidas, Canon, Nokia, Blackberry etc. etc. etc.
Funny how we measure civilization....
Of course, I do not have big problems with that, because I went to TGIF for a chickenburger, a Mojito (alcoholic one this time) and a brownie/ice-cream. Hmmmmmmm. For this I paid 25 EUR. One of the more expensive lunches to be honest. Would I have chosen an Indian one it would have been 4 times less (and maybe also more healthy).
Wine, unfortunately, is an expensive item in India. Comparable what it used to be in Russia up untill a couple of years ago. At TGIF you pay an approximate 40 EUR for an imported bottle. And to my big surprise, minors up untill 25 (!) cannot consume alcohol here. Now, India has a double standard concerning alcohol anyway. In many restaurants they don't serve it and supermarkets do not sell it. So where do you buy your favorite beers, wines, whiskeys and what more? Right, at specialized shops that are spread out along the main roads. In Delhi they close at 22pm, in Gurgaon a little later, but then again, you can actually buy whatever you want 24/7. Even when the shop seems completely closed, a tiny little window, just enough for a bottle to pass through, is always open.
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| Wine menu TGIF |
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| A licquor shop |
Anyway, today I bought myself a nice bottle of wine for 17 EUR. With which they did not allow me to go inside the mall, so I brought it back to the place I bought it from to pick it up later.
The supermarket is actually nothing special, so just see for yourself if you recognize all the vegetables and other stuff they sell there.
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