January 23, 2012

The perils of stationery shopping (in Mumbai)

I was at a local stationery shop today, looking for an obscure product, so I decided to get some help. With no uniforms to guide me, I thought the nondescript middle-aged man idling on the shop floor might be an employee. So I asked him, "Do you work here?"

He got very upset.

"No, do YOU work here?!" He glared at me and added, "Do I LOOK like I work here?"

I tried to keep a straight face and asked him, "What do people who work here look like?"

"Not like me," he scoffed, and then turned around.

The man behind the cash register was less offended when I asked for his help. He was also wearing a Taqiyah, a traditional Muslim cap.

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