Writing 101, Day Ten: Update your readers over a cup of coffee

Today’s assignment: Write an update post in the form of a virtual coffee date.

Or

*Set your poem or short story in a cafe.

Or

*Go to your neighborhood spot with your laptop or notebook and free-write for 20 minutes, prompted by what you observe.

Or

*Love or hate coffee ? Tell us why.

I think, “Love or hate coffee” is one I’d like to write about.

I do not love coffee and I do not hate it either.

Here is why. I was introduced to tea at a very early age. Maybe because I come from a country where tea is popular, because it’s grown there. We export it to countries all over the world. It’s the main reason coffee was not imported in our countries for a long time.

Now because of the people of  my country travel a lot( Bangladesh). They have tasted it out of curiosity, some feel it tastes good, some think it’s not that tasty, they like it since it’s available all over the world and it makes them feel special and cool.It’s for this reason coffee is available in Bangladesh, but it’very expensive, compared to tea. The stores charge a lot of money for coffee mainly to discourage the inhabitants to pick up the habit of drinking coffee instead of tea.

For me nothing about it makes me want to drink it, since it is stylish, and the phrase, “Let’s go for coffee,” does not attract my attention.

I’m a creature of habit, I’ve had tea, since I started going to school. Rain or shine I had my cup of tea. It is one drink I love and am not about to desert it for something else, such as coffee, hot chocolate or any kind of juice. It’s all about pleasure in my case, the only drink that provides it is tea.

When someone visits our house first thing I’d say is, “Cha khaben?”( would you like a cup of tea?)To these same people if I say, “Coffee khaben?”( would you like a cup of coffee?)

Their response would be, “kee bollen?”( What did you say?)

It would mean so you have forgotten your roots. It is part of our culture. For me it’s part of my habit. I cannot think of replacing tea for coffee.

Daily Prompt: Greetings, Stranger

You’re sitting at a cafe when a stranger approaches you. This person asks what your name is and for some reason you reply. The stranger nods, “I’ve been looking for you.” What happens next?

I was sitting at ,Second Cup, enjoying my coffee, I suddenly noticed someone coming towards me. I pretended to look sideways, hoping this person will turn around and leave,much to my dismay I heard the word, “Shuprobhat”(good day). I turned around and saw the stranger addressing me.

I wasn’t in a mood to answer in  Bengali. I was irritated  and  said,”Are you talking to me”?

My attitude didn’t deter the stranger from continuing to speak to me, ignoring my reply, he smiled and replied,”Apnar naam ki”?( what’s your name)

Without thinking any further, “I mumbled, Ranu.”

The stranger nodded,”I’ve been looking for you.”

He seemed quite pleased and without hesitation pulled a chair to sit. I felt very uncomfortable as I had never seen him before and wasn’t sure of his motives.

Before settling down he excused himself , stood up to grab a cup of coffee for himself. He  came back and asked  what I was doing in this city. I kept my conversation to a minimum, I wasn’t interested to tell him anymore about me.

He was not willing to give up, he started telling me about his uncle whom he had never seen but heard a lot about. While he was talking I wondered why he was talking to me about his uncle and what’s that got to do with me.

My irritation reached it’s height, I looked at him and could not help asking, “Why are you talking to me about your uncle?”

He frowned and said, “My uncle is your father.”

I was shocked and could not speak for a few minutes, I then replied, “How do you know your uncle was my father?”

“Your father was the older brother of my father.”

I was embarrassed I apologized for my unfriendly behavior.

He invited me to go and meet his wife and children, I happily agreed . I was surprised to know he lived only a few blocks from me.

Meanwhile his wife had cooked a lavish dinner, the aroma of the food reminded me of my mother’s cooking.We had a delicious meal.

After dinner I invited the family to visit me. The stranger amazingly enough turned out to be my cousin, wow I thought!

……………………………………. 🙂

 

Daily Prompt: It’s My Party

You’re throwing a party —for you ! tell us about the food, drink,events, and party favours you’ll have for your event of a lifetime.Use any theme you like— It’s *your* party!

For my party I’ll make sure to  invite all my good friends. There is Dilruba in Montreal, Evelyn in Whitby, Valerie in St.John’s, and a few others.

The foods will be my favorite and fortunately my friends like them too. I’ll do the cooking to make sure they taste good. I know all about the catering service we have here in my neck of the woods, they are not I’d call tasty.

There will be a variety of foods on the menu:

Rice pilaf, Chicken korma, spicy beef, lamb sheesh kebab.

Then I’ll prepare mixed vegetables, cauliflower with cheese, and bagharay baingan it’s an eggplant dish.

Salad : yoghurt salad, mixed vegetable salad with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce, sprinkled with lime juice.

Drinks: plain water or coke and pepsi for those who prefer them.

Dessert : Pineapple upside down cake.

Beverage: tea  and coffee.

Dinner time : 6.30  pm.

After dinner the guest will be entertained with some videos of popular singers.

Each guest will receive a small gift of a variety of chocolates .

I wanted to write the recipes of the foods but it will take too much time, since I’m the only one who’ll have to write it.

Wikipedia image of chicken korma and kabab

This is my plan, I hope you’ll enjoy reading it!

……………………………………… 🙂

DP Daily Prompts: Linger

Tell us about times in which you linger–when you don’t want an event,or a day to end. What is it you love about these times? Why do you wish you could linger forever?

There have been times when I wanted Time to Standstill. These are occasions when we invite our friends to dinner. It is a very enjoyable time.

It begins by me writing a list of things I’d like to cook for the guests, which dish of mine my friends like, what goes with it e.g, vegetables, rice, salad.

Once I make up my list I go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients. Then it’s preparing the dishes. Some take longer than others. I enjoy preparing it for the friends.

I always ask my guests to come at 6 pm, so they can have fresh cooked food, I don’t have to wait after I’m done cooking, the food loses its taste if I have to keep warming it up.

The arrival of guests is the best part, we are in a jovial mood we catch up with what is new with them.Food good friends are a joy for me, it brings out the best in my friends, we talk about children, food, our recent travels. We leave out work it’s not always pleasant.

After dinner I serve coffee or tea with dessert, I’m always happy to see my friends, they end up staying longer, who would want the evening to end, I like it a lot when it lingers.

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2015/03/23/dp-daily-prompts-linger/

DP Daily Prompts: Greetings, Stranger

You’re sitting at a cafe when a stranger approaches you. This person asks what your name is,you reply. The stranger nods, “I’ve been looking for you.” What happens next?

I’m sitting in “Second Cup” waiting for my cup of coffee, it is crowded, I’m bored so I took out my book which I recently purchased, I read the title,”Atlas Shrugged” what a strange title I thought, I began reading it, told myself not bad, this will take me a while to finish reading, eleven hundred and six pages, wow, I said and looked up to see if the girl was calling me, no she wasn’t but I’m amazed to see someone approaching me, I never saw this woman in my life, what could she want from me. I stay seated and am pretending to look elsewhere, “Hello I hear a rather unusually hoarse voice.”

I look up, she is actually addressing me, “What’s your name, is the first question?

By this time I’m perturbed, “What?” I say, rather impolitely.

I want to know your name, she repeated.

What makes you think, I’ll tell you my name, I’ve never seen you before, I said.

Oh I am so sorry, I should have introduced myself before asking you a question, I was so  thrilled to see you I couldn’t wait to ask you your name, I am your student Heather, I was looking for you to give my good news, I’m finally ready to start studies in the school of medicine. You know how long I tried to get in.

Heather I’m so pleased I said, my name is Ranu. Yes I taught you in grade school, how wonderful to know you’ll prepare yourself to be a physician.

We talked for a while, I told her I was waiting for my coffee, she invited me to go to a restaurant, so we could talk. I found out she was engaged, would be married in a couple of months and I must attend her wedding.

I felt embarrassed I didn’t recognize my former student, she didn’t seem to mind. We had a delicious lunch in”Bistro Sofia” she dropped me off at my house and promised to get in touch with me.

At home I felt glad I went for that coffee I ended up not getting it but was pleased I met Heather, what a beautiful coincidence, is all I told myself!

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/dp-daily-promp…tings-stranger/

DP Daily Prompt: It’s my Party

You’re throwing a party—- for you! Tell us all about the food,drink,events, and party favours you’ll have for your event of a lifetime. Use any theme you like —it’s “Your” party!

I’m throwing a party for me. My guests will be be my close friends who like my cooking. These are the variety of foods I will serve:

1. Chicken        image by wikipedia

2. Sheesh Kebab

3. Mixed vegetable dish

4.Vegetable Salad

5.Naan

6.  Chicken

7.   Pilaf

 

8. Hors deuvre– Samosas

9. Dessert:  Chocolate Cheesecake

10. Drinks: water, or soft drinks and tea or coffee

Events: board games

Party Favours:  box of assorted chocolates and recipes of the main dish.

 https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/dp-daily-prompt-4