As dusk fell, we got back to our Village 5 or was it 3. Had dinner at El Dorado, another spot in another resort. Pradeep ordered the most amusing chocolate pancake I've ever seen. No chocolate but it had some crushed cream biscuits (cookies). I ate an Israeli Lafa - basically, a big roti with salad and fries on top.
I thought I didn't sleep very well that night for some reason but Pradeep said I snored through the night. I was up early and went to my favorite digs for tea. It was closed so walked a little further to a food shack called Powerfull (yes, the extra L is not a typo). Got back and read for quite a bit lying outside on the bench across our cottage. We returned to Powerfull later for breakfast - omelette and toast and a debate on Obamacare. The Bengali cook at Powerfull wore blue pants and a white vest. He had a somewhat large belly and an unshaven face that looked older than his years. He told us about changing regulations and how a food inspector now drops by unannounced and can shut the place down for hygiene if things weren't clean. I always asked people where they were from. People answer this question in different ways. Originally, he said, Andamans. When I probed, I discovered he moved here 28 years ago from West Bengal as a 12 year old boy. He had come to work, married a local Bengali girl and now has a family. He never went back to Kolkata but always thinks of going. He reminded me of V.S. Naipaul's family that moved generations ago to Trinidad and Tobago. It's the same thing. The Powerfull man's travails, needs are exactly the same as those I know who are in U.S. and mean to move back to India. His eyes looked at same distant past.
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