Marathi Vyaparee (businessmen)

Maharashtrians like to ruminate – marathi loka dhandyaat mage kaa? (Why do we lack the business acumen? Or, why are we not great business men?) And mind you, this is Marathi mentality we are talking here. So we are not looking at building business empires directly, but may be sustaining a shop or making profits in a business run with help of 10-15 odd people. I think a large part of that is attitude. Don’t get me wrong – there are a few Marathi folks who are doing well in business, but overall, a Marathi man will prefer to work for someone else rather than take pains of working for himself. (The usage of male gender is for simplicity, do not want to go writing Marathi man or woman every where.) There is another facet to the attitude – how you treat your customer. As acclaimed writer PL Deshpande in his essay, on people from Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur points out, we consider the customer as the least important thing in the store.

So, what motivated this post? Well a difference in attitude by two different businessmen. At work, the quality of food is given utmost importance and any caterer is at risk of losing or termination of contract if people think they deserve better food. Now, it is a normal practice to not-like the cafeteria food. But there is really not-likeable and then there is okay-I-can’t-tolerate-this-food. And that’s what happened here and the old caterer was let go. After the new one came in, I started noticing the differences distinctly…

In the old style, the person who used to take money would stand there with a distinct expression that was something like – ale giLaayalaa! – A derogatory Marathi phrase that means these people do not deserve the food (and especially not at such low cost). The plates would be often times not dried, and it was left up to the eater to dry the plate….

Then there was the dilemma of empty containers that I never understood. Yes, when you keep a serving-bowl full of crunchy papads, people do take one or two extra. But this caterer had mastered the art of not letting people do that. Every time, there would be enough quantity in the serving bowl for only two people. So, I would always hesitate – if I take the papad, the next five people in the queue won’t have any…all right, skip the papad. It was later that I realized, if I had taken one piece, he would have added a couple more pieces from the other container that was deftly hidden from public view. But the ploy works – for those papad aficionados would satisfy themselves with not more than two pieces of papad otherwise risked making the serving bowl empty! Walha – we have saved some papads!

As you proceeded in the line, a person in caterer’s employ would serve the buffet items. He would serve enough to make it look enough, but not enough to satiate you by quantity. And since he would either start working on the next person in line or hide behind the counter, there was no way of asking for more.

By the time, you would have plate full of food, and walking towards a table, you would have the feeling of ale giLaayalaa all over again!

Also, even though vegetables are costly, doDhee-bhopaLaa (a vegetable in zucchini family, do not remember the English name) twice a week is not very appetizing for many (me included)! So isn’t the half-cooked rice and dal (split lentil curry) that would characteristically taste the same every day!

A couple of visits later to Yo! China and Veg Tadka restaurants, I took the easy way out! Now, my friend is on the food-committee, so pestering and whining has added advantage! At last, the caterer got the boot!

In came a Punjabi caterer the next day and we have been eating the food without complaints for more than past three weeks. Granted the honeymoon period is not over yet, but there are some differences to note. First of all, he shows the courtesy to treat his customers - well like customers! The person who takes your money has a God given gift of smiley face! Your first contact on the other side of the buffet does not make you feel guilty about eating! If by chance the plate is still dripping with water, he wipes it for you and mumbles an apology. The food items are much more tasty and choice of vegetables better. What I also liked is if the serving bowl is empty, it is because the food item is really over, not because the caterer is trying to save money. And the caterer feels genuinely bad about it – “aaj aap thoDa late aye sir” (we were almost winding down sir; it is tad late for you today) – he would say apologetically. And if you bump into the owner, he asks if everything is fine and if I have eaten properly giving it a motherly touch!

Now you tell me – which caterer would you prefer?