Friday, February 25, 2011

Flatmate No. 1: Gaurav


 Gaurav is a 29-year-old Phd student who is researching hydrogen fuels.  He hails from India – just outside of Mumbai, to be precise.  


Gaurav likes: sci-fi television, cooking, sharing what he makes (luckily for me), and sending cryptic text messages.


Gaurav dislikes: turning on the heating, wasting food, inauthentic Indian cuisine, and meat.  


Creating a delicious and delightfully spicy biryani.

Gaurav and I have bonded over food.  It really does bring people together: he likes cooking, and I like eating.  It's such a symbiotic relationship!  In all seriousness, I think Gaurav appreciates that I appreciate his cuisine.  Our other two flatmates don't have much of a tolerance for spicy food, so I am sometimes the only one in the house who is able to try what he makes and, with complete honesty, compliment the outcome. Also, Gaurav has been a vegetarian all his life, and since I am trying to go veg (it's much more difficult than I was anticipating), he has opened my eyes to all sorts of meat-free combinations I have never before seen.  However, we widely differ in our media preferences.  What follows is a brief conversation that took place shortly after I moved into the house, in which Gaurav rebukes my taste in television.

Gaurav: Do you watch Star Trek: Voyger?
Me:  No.
Gaurav: Do you watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?
Me. No.  In general, I'm not into sci-fi.
Gaurav: [Makes exclamation of derision.] Do you watch Stargate?
Me. No.
Gaurav: Do you watch Stargate: Atlantis?
Me. No.
Gaurav: Do you watch Babylon 5
Me. No.
Gaurav: [Shakes head in consternation and disbelief.]
END SCENE

Clearly, I need to reform my viewing habits.

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