This is my tale of a chai wallah
Met on an Indian train
If you’ve heard it before forgive me for
You are going to hear it again.
We are travelling on an Indian train
The only non Indians there.
A chai wallah’s moving down the train
And I guess you know the score.
He’s calling out to sell his wares
So this is what we heard,
“Chai, chai, chai, chai.”
Moving down the train.
“Chai, chai, chai, chai.”
Closer all the time.
“Chai, chai, chai, chai”,
Until he got to me.
Without the slightest hint of pause
Or any break in rhythm
He changed his call
As he went by me
And this is what we heard.
“Chai, chai, chai, chai,
Chai, chai, Tea, chai, chai”.
He changed his call from chai to tea
Just as he went by me.
Two nations tied together
By so much history
I hope we share our humour
And it’s funny to him
As to me.
Funny, but even the Yanks now call it chai!
LikeLike
You can get chai in coffee shops but our tea drinking habits are different to yours. We find chai much too sweet and wouldn’t dream of boiling the milk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, yes, tell me about it! Do you know of a Bombay speciality – the “cutting” chai? It’s a half glass of strong tea, boiled many times over, which is meant to be shared.
LikeLike
Not heard of that. Thinking of the chai they serve in Sikh Gurdwara.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is funny Andrew.
LikeLiked by 1 person