Chapter 382: The Man Who Eats Wadada Buns
Holi in Mumbai had just passed, and the children were still laughing and talking downstairs.
The parking lot became a carnival for men, women, young and old, with every face covered in colored powder, making it impossible to tell who was the servant and who was the master.
People either drink alcohol or smoke weed to get high. On this day, there are no taboos, you can even touch any woman.
Occasionally, people strolled along Carter Avenue by the sea, discussing a movie for which they had booked tickets three weeks ago.
If you have some free time, you can walk further to the Nariman District, where you can take the children on a carousel, admire the coconut shells floating on the turquoise sea, and watch the high-rise buildings rising from the coast on Vakeshwar Road in the distance.
If you plan to start from the Flora Fountain in Martyrs' Square and go to the Fortress District, you won't get tired of walking for a whole day.
The streets there are what streets should be like: wide and flat, shaded by trees, and lined with magnificent palaces.
Sunday afternoons are the watershed that makes us human, not just animals.
The rest of the week, people return home too late, only having enough to meet their most basic needs: eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired.
On Sundays, people become thoughtful and interesting again.
For the general public, there is nothing more comfortable than watching TV at home or going to a movie.
Of course most people would choose the latter, as the children clamored to play in the streets.
Ashish felt that if he wanted to sell VCDs, the best place would be the shops lining the streets.
“Many people would be wary of spending 6,000 rupees on an appliance they haven’t seen before, so we have to let them see the results.”
"You mean put it in the store?" said cousin Dharmendra.
"Yes, where are the most crowded places at this time?"
"Of course it's Boca, now's a good time for a Vada meal."
“Then let’s go there.” Ashish turned around and took the lead without hesitation.
They walked through the streets, looking for Boca's shop along the way.
Time is not abundant, Dharmendra told Ashish that Boka only opens his stall for three hours a day, from 4 pm to 7 pm, or until the vada pouches are sold out that day.
They walked along a path dug in the middle of the road, revealing a deep pit, passing the vegetable market, the Little Portugal area, the bridal shop, the Jain clinic, and finally found Boca's stall.
Two lines had formed in front of the stall, one for men and one for women, each clutching rupees. Boca sat on a small stool, scooping batter and frying potato pancakes.
On a tattered blackboard next to it were written: Boca secret recipe, vada buns 4 rupees, fried potato cakes 3 rupees, vada bun embryo 1 rupee.
Because of the hot weather, Boca moved the stall outside and left a few tables inside the shop for customers to dine in.
The old electric fan was swaying unsteadily, providing little cooling effect. However, because there was a TV hanging on the wall, the shop was packed with people, even though they were sweating profusely.
Dharmendra walked over and greeted the busy Boka, who nodded and signaled them to be at their leisure.
So Ashish walked into the store and started working. Very good, this TV is a Sur brand, perfect for their VCD.
Dharmendra simply queued outside as well, planning to buy a few vada buns to fill his stomach.
He waited for the hash browns to come out of the fryer, and so did the people around him, their muscles tensed, their money clutched, ready to go.
As soon as Boca lifted the colander from the vat of boiling oil and filled it with potato pancakes covered in golden breading that looked like beignets, the crowd began to stir.
They held out their hands full of money, handing over ten-rupee notes for change to the waiter, who had a tray filled with two-rupee coins in front of him.
No one would just buy one vada bun, so after one round, not everyone could buy one. Diners who were embarrassed to fight for it had to wait for the next round of potato pancakes to come out of the pan.
The prepared vada wrap is pre-spread with hot and sour sauce: green chickpea paste on the top half and red garlic jam on the bottom half.
The waiter always greets the female customers first. He stretches out one hand, scoops up two potato pancakes that have just been taken out of the pan, and smoothly places one on each side of the opened vada bun. Then he closes the bun and hands it to the hungry diners.
Dharmendra took his portion of vada pao and walked to a place a little further away from the stall. He squeezed the potato cake in the middle slightly, and a slight crack appeared on the outer layer of the vada pao. Mashed potatoes and red and green sauce overflowed.
He took a bite, and the soft and sweet outer layer of bread perfectly neutralized the sour and spicy taste of the sauce.
The yellowish-brown potato pancakes inside are fried crispy and have the unique aroma of garam masala. You can also eat whole garlic cloves that are like cashew nuts. After chewing, they emit a unique fragrance. It is truly delicious and enjoyable.
One vada is enough to fill your stomach, and Boca’s vada is truly worthy of its reputation for color, aroma and flavor.
He felt as satisfied as a man who had been starving for a long time and finally had a big meal.
After eating the hot vada pao, he naturally felt thirsty, so he walked into a cold drink shop not far away.
The store uses Formica building materials to separate booths, creating a pleasant environment with a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
There are "drink recommendations" written in Marathi on the wall, and each one is claimed to have health benefits.
For example, gooseberry juice can treat frequent urination, night blindness, and irritability, while ginger juice can relieve flatulence, bronchitis, and dysmenorrhea.
Most of the ice cream is delicious and very different from the popular and popular cola.
In fact, the local colas here, such as Masala Coke, are enough to compete with the orthodox cola. The taste is very different but not inferior.
Although it looks like a bubbly brown drink, it is infused with masala spices like lemon, mineral salt, pepper, and cumin.
To make a masala cola, pour some regular cola into a glass, then add a few spoonfuls of masala, and the cola will bubble up wildly from the bottom of the glass.
The waiter stood aside and waited for the foam to disappear, then added cola into the cup and waited for a while until all the remaining cola was poured out. In this way, the original Indian cola was born!
Facing the invasion of Western culture, India's attitude is to accept it and transform it.
They welcomed Coke into the pantheon of local drinks, but added a few spices to give the exotic drink a bit of life: the cocaine it contained had returned to Indian cola after being banned in the West.
At this moment, bursts of exclamations came from Boca's shop next door. Dharmendra walked over quickly, and the people in the cold drink shop also stood up to watch the excitement.
Sure enough, the brand new VCD was installed in place.
Ashish was holding a CD and loudly introducing to the customers in the store how amazing this machine was.
People were more attracted by the cover of the CD, which was a Bollywood blockbuster that had just been released a month ago.
The movie just came out of theaters and the TV stations haven’t had time to broadcast it yet.
Outside on the street, there was a poster for the movie, and everyone recognized it immediately.
In full view of everyone, Ashish proudly stuffed the glittering silver disc into the VCD tray.
This small action alone caused a burst of exclamations because it looked very advanced.
It pops out and retracts automatically, and all you have to do is press a button.
Soon, clear movie images appeared on the TV. Yes, it was the same as what was shown in the cinema.
Many people who have seen this movie opened their mouths wide in amazement.
There is no need to wait for the TV station to negotiate the copyright and then arrange the broadcast on a carefully selected day.
It's so fast that some small cinemas haven't finished showing it yet.
It is also very clear, without any snow or lag.
You have to know that when they were watching TV just now, there were occasional snowy screens due to signal problems.
This machine called VCD has absolutely no such function and it is not smooth at all.
Suddenly the scene froze, and everyone who was in high spirits started to cheer.
It turned out that Ashish pressed the pause button. He stood on a stool, waving his hands and loudly introducing this new VCD.
The price tag of 6,000 rupees didn't impress many people, but when the CD was mentioned, people's attention was drawn.
"For just 20 rupees, you can watch the latest Bollywood blockbuster. If it's an old movie from a few months ago, it's only 10 rupees or even 6 rupees."
"Can we watch movies from many years ago?"
“Of course, it’s not just Bollywood, there are also foreign films.”
Ashish opened the canvas bag in his hand, which was filled with piles of CDs.
Judging from the cover, all types of works are available, from home and abroad, from ancient times to the present.
The crowd began to make a commotion and talk a lot. They were very interested in this CD.
In a big city like Mumbai, a movie ticket costs 60 rupees, and the price is still rising with exchange rate fluctuations.
But CDs are much cheaper, the latest movies are less than half the price, and older movies are even more expensive, only one-tenth the price.
Do Indians mind watching old movies? Of course not.
Not to mention the tens of thousands of movies released every year, people only see a handful of them.
Even if they have seen something before, they can still enjoy watching it again anytime and anywhere.
Indians love movies so much that it is almost ingrained in their bones.
If they have such a machine at home, they can watch all the Bollywood movies at a very low price.
Ashish resumed the playback. He didn't care how many people were excited. His goal today was just to spread the concept of VCD.
And according to his idea, the first customers would not be the people who ate the vada buns in the store, but the store owner.
He walked over to negotiate with Boca and told him that if the store had a VCD that played movies, his business would be several times better.
Boca was a little conflicted, as he thought he already had enough guests.
Suddenly, the owner of the cold drink shop next door interrupted and ordered a VCD without saying a word.
Look at the people in the Boca store now. There are so many layers of people surrounding it inside and outside. It is completely airtight.
From time to time, people are attracted to this street, and they all love to watch the fun.
It was a really nice atmosphere to watch a movie with so many people together.
The owner of the cold drink shop is very smart. If so many people patronize his shop, there is no need to worry about business.
Ashish was very happy with the victory in the first battle.
He immediately said that he would move the VCD next door after the movie was over.
Tomorrow, Sur Electric will deliver a brand new machine to him. Hearing this, Boca quit.
He was hesitant just now, but immediately said that his store also needed a machine like this.
Are you kidding? His business will definitely be affected as all the customers are sucked away.
Ashish said that it was no problem, mass production of VCDs had already started and they would have as many as needed.
"See? That's how we sell it. We need to convince every store on the street to buy a VCD. People passing by will be drawn to it out of curiosity. It won't be long before VCDs become famous."
This is the point-to-surface marketing strategy that Ashish came up with, and it would be best if it could be spread all over the city.
"What about the other CDs?" Dharmendra thought of the CD that had fallen to the ground before.
"This is exactly our next target, let's go!" Ashish turned around and led the way.
Mumbai is a bustling city where fun is a must.
(End of this chapter)
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