By Chittur Vaidyanathan Ramachandran

I was just learning to walk on the streets of USA when I got my first job. Having seen over 32 summers in India, this one was just another. But this summer, the sun was on the other side of the hemisphere. I was in Florida. I had seen the beaches of Florida from my couch in India. Guess what!! 'Baywatch'. Sun was shining and the rays found its way through the stubborn clouds. The breeze from the Atlantic was warm and sultry. It was my first Friday on the job. Colorful and casual atmosphere blessed my tense disposition. Fridays bring everyone closer and work is just an excuse. No new projects begin and none of the meetings are serious.

This Friday was no different. My colleagues were buzzing around and all excited. It was only 10.00 am in the morning when they were all excited about the pizza. "Pizza?" I thought. Americans eat 75 acres of pizza in a day I remembered reading somewhere. I was curious to see what this was all about. It starts with deciding the combination. "Pepperoni, ArtichokesE" screamed Diana and 'HmmmE I wondered, never heard of these. "I am a vegetarian" I was quick to say before Steve could ask my choice. 'Excuse me?' he retorted. I said I will go for anything vegetarian. "Oh! You are the only one" he said and selected tomato, aalapeno and pineapple for me. Left me wondering what this 'Aalapeno' is all about. I was looking for a familiar face to enquire about this. On enquiring I was told it was 'Jalapeno' meaning chillies for us Indians. The morning passed byEas quickly as it started. I came from a six-day week where Friday was no different from any other day. This is going to be interestingEI thought, knowing that there were idlis and Molagapodi in my back pack as a back up.

Afternoon came by and the Buicks and Carera's roared in the parking lot. Diana and Chuck were huddled in the corner trying to call the Pizza Hut. "LetsEgo", she whined and screwed her nose at him. Finally, Chuck bloated his chest and stood up. They were only gone for a few minutes as the team marched to the Break room to get the spoons, knives and the plates. Sodas popped as they assembled in the conference room. I had only finished checking my mails that morning from my dear wife Pushpa, when Linda invited me to go. She seemed to be the lonely one with less excitement written on her face. "You must be waitingE.to get a bite" I enquired striking a conversation. My question, brought waves on her forehead and she looked puzzled. Maybe it was my diction. I said again "you must be waiting to eatE." Before I could finish she shrugged it off. I thought she was the cynical kind, always disinterested. I quietly walked with her to the room while the back pack hung around me. The conference room was filled with laughter and euphoria.

Pizza came by and the smell filled the room. "Pepperoni" I heard someone scream behind me. I thought Pepper? Do they have a pepper Pizza? Interesting. Hunger was making its presence felt within me. I was thinking of the idli and the Molagapodi right behind me. At this point it seemed, the noise decibel was inversely proportional to the number of boxes being opened. By the time the last one opened there was near silence. Once the pleasantries were exchanged we had a Team leader congratulate the team on their weekly achievement. Then every one darted to the table of Pizzas. As the first one settled with her slices, she rushed back to the table, forgetting something. "Red Peppers?" she enquired. "Red Peppers" said the person in front of her raising his hand towards the table. Diana suddenly remembered she had left the packets at the counter. "Shit!!!!! I screwed up" she screamed apologetically. I saw my Pizza pieces with some tired looking artichoke pieces punctuated with pale yellow pineapple. To eat this I have to make it exciting, I thought. While the others ogled the pepperoni, I was contemplating the combination to eat this dry stuff. In classic Iyer fashion I hit upon an idea!!!!! I am so proud when they are inexpensive too. Without second thoughts I opened my back pack and softly slid the Molagapodi packet. Chuck, Linda, Diana watched as I opened the packet and sprinkled the Molagapodi on the Pizza. "Hey, what is that?" I heard from someone behind me. "Red Chilli powder" I said. "Red Chilli, meaning red pepper?" Jose retorted. Without waiting for an answer the packet went from one pair of hands to another. Pizza pieces were being devoured. The red powder disappeared as soon as it appeared. Not for long though, as by the time I left the room the red was the common color. Every other face was blooming red as Molagapodi celebrated its victory on a Friday in the United States of America.

Ramachandran is a Business Analyst with Cisco Systems, USA.