Pekoči zajtrk / Hot breakfast

Še preden sem imela čas panicirati, kaj naj sedaj naredim, sem že zaslišala cingljanje voznika rikše, ki je prišel vprašat, kam grem. Ja, seveda, avtobus ustavi na glavni cesti pri odcepu za kraj Pathankot, kjer je lokalna avtobusna postaja in kjer sem morala poiskati drug avtobus do Dharamsale. Vozniki rikš seveda vedo, da se na tistem križišču občasno znajdejo turisti, zato tam dežurajo in tako sem imela prevoz zagotovljen. Ko sem prispela na avtobusno postajo v Pathankot, se je ravno začel delati dan in moja prva skrb je bila poiskati nekaj za pojest za zajtrk. Šla sem do stojnice, kjer so prodajali neke zelenjavne polpete, izgledalo je v redu in dišalo tudi, pa sem naročila. Kuhar me je vprašal, ali zraven želim pekočo ali nepekočo omako. Verjetno je pričakoval, da bom kot turistka hotela nepekočo, jaz pa imam že od nekdaj rada pekočo hrano in sem seveda naročila pekočo. Malo me je še pogledal, ali mislim resno in mi potem serviral polpete s pekočo omako. Jedla sem kar tam stoje pri pultu, on pa me je opazoval, ali bom preživela. Sem kar krepko zajela tisto omako s polpeto in pojedla grižljaj in mu pokimala, da je dobro. On pa je bil tako presenečen, ko je videl turistko jesti pekočo omako, da je poklical še kolega iz sosednje stojnice. In potem sta me oba gledala in sem malo za reklamo še enkrat krepko zajela tisto pekočo omako in pojedla še en grižljaj in še enkrat pokimala, da je dobro. To je bil zagotovo dogodek dneva na avtobusni postaji. Malo sem vprašala naokrog, da so mi pokazali, kateri avtobus gre za Dharamsalo, na srečo je bila ravno takšna ura, da ni bilo pretirane gneče in kljub temu, da ni bil luksuzni avtobus, sem se v miru odpeljala dalje.

Even before I had time to start panicking, I heard the sound of a rickshaw  driver approaching out of nowhere, asking where I want to go. Of course, the bus stops on the main road at the crossroad with Pathankot, where I needed to catch the next bus to Dharamsala from the local bus station. Rickshaw drivers obviously know about the occasional tourist being dropped off the bus and they are ready to pick them up. By the time I reached the bus station in Pathankot it was beginning to dawn and my first thought was that I have to find some breakfast. I approached a food stall with nicely smelling fresh vegetable fritters and I ordered some. The server asked me whether I want hot or sweet sauce with it. I guess that because I was a tourist he expected me to ask for the sweet sauce, but little did he know that I have always loved hot so I asked for the hot sauce. I ate standing up by the counter and he watched me intensely to see how I would survive. I took a generous heap of sauce on my fritter and took a bite and nodded to him that it was delicious. He was so surprised to see a tourist enjoy hot sauce that he motioned to the guy from the neighboring stall. Then they both watched me and I made a show for them by taking another generous heap of the sauce and nodding to the both of them. It must have been the event of the day for them. I had to ask around which bus was for Dharamsala and although it was not a luxury bus, it was early enough that there weren't many people around and I was able to continue my bus ride having a seat to myself.