My first day I worked in the cafe with Annie and Lillian. It is interesting how much less efficiently things are run here, but the Dutch man Sergiano who runs the cafe explained to me that Western ways of organizing just don't work here for some reason. I am still a little skeptical about this notion, but there is something about the craziness of the little slips on the clothesline, so the 10 people in the kitchen which is the size of my bathroom yelling about everything that makes the day fun.
Customers come to Ramana's cafe because it is the only place in town they can get an organic meal, complete with raw vegetables. In India it is dangerous to eat raw vegetables because of the bacteria and amoebas in the water. At the cafe they wash everything in purified water mixed with grapefruit seed extract. I have been enjoying probably the only safe salads I will get on the trip the past few days. When someone comes in they order at the front desk and then take a seat either upstairs in the sun, or down on the floor couches covered in pillows. Then the counter person writes the order on a slip which is put on a clothes line and then yelled to the different stations in the kitchen. There are usually 2-3 people at the salad station, one at the stove, one doing dishes, and another two just running around to help with whatever. The most important member of the kitchen, Chandra, makes all of the hot meals. She prepares them early in the morning and then steams them when customers make their orders. Then kids run around trying to match the dish to the customer. It is funny because a lot of them can't pronounce the western names, so sometimes the dishes get brought to the wrong person.
It has been hard to be of as much help as I would like because all communication is in Hindi, so often I have no idea what is going on. I have mainly been in charge with making sure each order gets started and then sent out to the right person. Yesterday I really bonded with a 13-year old named Uma. At first she was super shy but by the end of the day she was hugging me and making fun of my height (I am at least an inch taller than her, but as she reminded me she still has time to grow).
Today was a bit slower than yesterday, but still a really enjoyable experience. It feels good to contribute to what Dwabha calls the "heart of Ramana's". It is incredible that this little cafe pays for food for over 60 people for the day, and I hope our customers know how much they are appreciated.
Customers come to Ramana's cafe because it is the only place in town they can get an organic meal, complete with raw vegetables. In India it is dangerous to eat raw vegetables because of the bacteria and amoebas in the water. At the cafe they wash everything in purified water mixed with grapefruit seed extract. I have been enjoying probably the only safe salads I will get on the trip the past few days. When someone comes in they order at the front desk and then take a seat either upstairs in the sun, or down on the floor couches covered in pillows. Then the counter person writes the order on a slip which is put on a clothes line and then yelled to the different stations in the kitchen. There are usually 2-3 people at the salad station, one at the stove, one doing dishes, and another two just running around to help with whatever. The most important member of the kitchen, Chandra, makes all of the hot meals. She prepares them early in the morning and then steams them when customers make their orders. Then kids run around trying to match the dish to the customer. It is funny because a lot of them can't pronounce the western names, so sometimes the dishes get brought to the wrong person.
It has been hard to be of as much help as I would like because all communication is in Hindi, so often I have no idea what is going on. I have mainly been in charge with making sure each order gets started and then sent out to the right person. Yesterday I really bonded with a 13-year old named Uma. At first she was super shy but by the end of the day she was hugging me and making fun of my height (I am at least an inch taller than her, but as she reminded me she still has time to grow).
Today was a bit slower than yesterday, but still a really enjoyable experience. It feels good to contribute to what Dwabha calls the "heart of Ramana's". It is incredible that this little cafe pays for food for over 60 people for the day, and I hope our customers know how much they are appreciated.
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