Learning to Fly: Peanut Butter, Sardines, and Turbans
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Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream |
During my most recent visit to New Delhi my cousin's wife re-introduced me to an old classmate, of whom I had only vague recollections. She was able to convince me that we had been classmates. She recalled that I used to bring peanut butter and honey sandwiches to school for recess. Of course, I had purged that little detail of my school days, along with all of the other embarrassments that caused me not to blend in. Nobody else brought peanut butter sandwiches to school for lunch. This was New Delhi, not Canada (the land of Winnie the Pooh), where I was born and raised for the first three years of my life and where I undoubtedly developed a taste for peanut butter sandwiches.
My former classmate's recollection about my fondness for peanut butter sandwiches had rung true because I still like them and they are, to this day, a favorite option for breakfast. The turban, on the other hand, is no more. I had never liked wearing it although I was quite adept at tying it neatly and looked smart in it, or so I was told. The protection a turban offered me in the winter months was massively offset by the discomfort of unshorn hair, especially during New Delhi's sweltering heat and never-ending hot spells.
To make things worse, my curly hair was particularly unsuited for keeping long. I remember countless hours of working through knots that would form in my hair after washing them and letting them dry for a few hours (see my Afro pictures from college days upon returning to Canada). As a kid I had help from my mom, but later in life I had to fend for myself. And it was quite an ordeal. I don't know what the statistics are globally, but at least in my circles curly hair are a fairly rare feature and so not many people (i.e men) have experience with the torture involved in keeping them long or unshorn. My daughter has inherited my curly hair and it didn't take her long to discover hair straighteners, which vastly simplify her life. The wonders of technology.
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