The Angels, The City, The Sun

I took a long time to write this. When I landed at LAX, I was smitten. I thought I am pretty grown up, I can't show I am overwhelmed, so I waited for full three weeks to let it simmer. Fortunately it did not. Los Angeles translates as The Angels, and as the locals call it, The city of angels , why shouldn't they? The city has a aura around it similar to the ring at the angel's head.

They say less than 1% of the earth has Mediterranean climate, California and particularly LA is among that coveted percent. It's believed the best job in this city is that of the weather guy, all he has to do is come on air everyday and say "Folks, it's just another beautiful day as always". No wonder it is the home of who's who of world's largest entertainment industry, you can't miss the famous hilltop logo self proclaiming as the entertainment capital of the world, 'HOLLYWOOD'.

Not only the weather is pleasant, the people specially those from the fairer sex are very pleasant. Before I visited America, I had this image of average american as a stupid, obese and oblivious to the "rest of the world", it goes unsaid that the guy in that image is far more smart, fit and aware. California for one is very aware of different cultures, different origins and different tastes. A standing testimony to this fact is I got to eat Korean, Chinese (sichuan, hunan and cantonese), Japanese, Ethiopean, Italian (sicilian), North African, Brazilian, Mexican, Greek, Lebanese and Mediterranean food in just first two weeks of my arrival, and all the restaurants were at walking distance.
California is the 5th largest economy in the world (ya right! thats a state in USA), and opullence is name of the game here. I have been a car enthusiast for all my teenage life, and for someone like me to be thrown into "car country" it was much like Charlie in the chocolate factory. First day here and the minute I came out of airport, my taxi was running parallel with a Ferrari F430 and a Masseratti Quatroporte (both owned by FIAT :) ), I was in awe, a huge awe! There after living just a block away from Beverly Hills and Sunset Boulevard, exotic cars are a regular sight here. Have you ever stood at the VT station and watched a teenager guy from some obscure village in UP or Bihar arriving in Bombay for the first time? It is not like they show in movies, most of the times he tries to supress his excitement, at same time he is awestuck by the grandeur of the big city. Something similar happens to me when I see an Aston Martin zoom past me, or when a Lamborghini waits at a signal and the driver waves at me to cross the road. The teenager in me is still alive it seems, had I been any younger, I would have jumped at the sight and yelled "look papa, a ferrari!".
However, I have a part inside my brain which pinpoints with laser precision to shortcomings of any system be it an individual, a society or an ideology. Americans are funny people, They mint 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents and 25 cents coins, 10 cents coin is smaller than 5 cents one, and 1 cents coin is also larger than 10 cents. 1 cent coin although is in circulation and is shelled out on you as chage, it is largely useless, no vending machine takes, yuo cant go to cafeteria for a 5 $ meal and offer him 500 1 cent coins,
They make all dollars in the same size, I was almost about to give a 10 $ bill instead of a 1 $ but again, they have made it this way, it is their way :). However open they are to different cultures, their prerequisite for amalgamation is that you accept their way of living, off course you are free to bring in your ideas, which may or may not be accepted, for instance idea of fun and socializing is barbeque, most of koreans have accepted it (offcourse, South Korea is an US colony), it's just that we have hard time cooking rice on barbeque grill. They harbour a serious stereotype about almost everyone from "rest of the world", India for them is spicy food, cow worship, IT and dirty busy streets. Fine enough! I am a food enthusiast, and I was discussing food with a fine white gentleman at office, "How is Indian food different from american food?", I smiled
"our food has flavour", he looked annoyed, off course almost all of america eats bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast, burger and fries for lunch and steak, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner, they don't even know half of world would be nauseated even by the thought of it (except South Bombay off course, for dwellers there, anything american is godsend)
Then he replied, "ya Indian food is very spicy",
I said, "even you use spices",
"not much"
"I was wondering whether you guys use oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, sage, ginger, garlic and cilantro?",
"Yes!" was the confident reply,
"Aren't they spices?" I was certain, I might offend him :)
"those are herbs",
"well that is what is used pretty much in India so how are they different from spices?",
"boy! herbs are herbs and spices are spices, spices are hot",
"well then shouldn't indian food be "hot" rather than "spicy"?"
I wanted to say "the world's hottest commercially cultivated chilly is grown in California, New Mexico and Arizona", then I thought, I might have said too much to offend him :).
The moment I landed here, the first person I spoke to at length was the taxi driver, he was a nice Armenian guy who had also served in Russian army and was fan of Dilip Kumar and Mithun da. He asked me where are you from, I said "India", he almost replied instantly "you should visit 7Eleven, you will find all your friends there, a lot of cab drivers here are also Indians", I just smiled, "ya rite! India is cab drivers, 7eleven workers and IT", so much for being the group in US with second largest median household income (after the Jewish people). He also advised me, "stay clear of hookers, if you want sex go to massage parlours",
"excuse me!" I was taken back,
"every day in the morning, I take home your young indian friends drunk and looted by the hookers, outside the bars", he replied almost as if it was indeed his regular business, I thought, "my indian friends!", I could only smile. Thank god, no one has stopped me on the road and asked me to format their Hard Drives. Why shouldn't they, the most unfit, awefully out of shape, pathetically dressed, milserly living and poor body language people group in this country is Indian IT guys, specially from down south (no offence to south, read my previous posts, I love appam, idiappam, chettinad preps, avial and above all Rajani Sar!), Most of them are so arrogant about being in US despite being bottom of food chain in corporate world, they just make me feel ashamed of being one of them, CLARIFICATION: I AM NOT AN IT GUY, but technically but in US we are not Southies or Naarthies, we hold the same Passport with 5 lions on the cover, We are all Indians here and I strongly think we have a responsibility to put our country in a smart light, not horribly dressed, Awefully out of shape and speaking english with horrendous grammar mistakes. (trivia: Indian national emblem has 5 lions not 4).
All said and done, It's a wonderfull place to visit :)

PS : 2 more months, I shall be home :)