For the longest time the idea of settling down with someone, forever, seemed daunting. I’m not talking about that irrational fear of relationships boys experience growing up. Do they? Or it’s just me.
At the risk of sounding morose and anti-social, I would admit today, that for the longest time I had no problem living by myself. I used to joke around about how if there was ever a Zombie Apocalypse and people were forced to live alone then I would fit right-in. It didn’t help that I’m a nocturnal person and while my work may sound very adventurous and social, it mostly involves spending a lot of time by myself.
Yet, in an unexpected twist of fate, I found myself exchanging vows with a charming dentist from Karachi, marking the start of a new chapter. How that happened is another story. But today I want to focus on how I inadvertently deal with sensitive issues with my better half, willingly, and to my surprise, without much thought. One story stands out in particular for it happened recently on a night out in Barcelona.
On this particular night we stumbled inside something of a Spanish-Imitation-Chinese restaurant near the infamous La Rambla street. A tourist trap probably we thought. But at that moment we were hungry and in the mood to experiment so valha.
Now the dentist is very particular about Halal Cuisine. I’m not saying I don’t like kosher food. Just that I like new experiences more. Hey, as long as the food is fresh, cooked, edible, and taste good what is the harm, right? Ok, I will avoid pork although *ahem there is something about ham. Any way.
She ordered vegetable udon.
Getting her mood I ordered vegetable dumpling. But hoping to get a taste of Hong Kong – beef curry with rice.
The food turned out horrible. Bland and lacklustre. Then the waiters were rude, there wasn’t a single ‘Asian’ customer and, again horrible food. Yea, the restaurant was most certainly a tourist trap.
It’s one thing to order non-halal food. It’s another thing altogether to order non-halal food that sucks!
The dentist however smiled and said look you eat whatever you like as is your right. Don’t force me to eat it as that is my right and THIS.. IS.. OK! We are learning to meet each other in the middle.
I was pleasantly surprised at her calm response on a difficult subject. We have known each other for years and there is still much to learn about each other.
I suppose something good came out of this Spanish-Imitation-Chinese food.
You can imagine that since we are living outside the Land of the Pure, such conflicting situations often arise. But these moments also give us a chance to learn more about each other, adjust, compromise and perhaps even grow closer.
The next time we hit a restaurant though we will check the reviews first.
Oh, if you are reading this and worried about halal options in Barcelona, don’t worry. There are many options; shops, groceries and restaurants.
Also see: Alternate Relationships
