Last night, my Dad and I gave a dinner party for my nephew who's off to Bangalore to become a master of tooth extraction, brace-fixing and other orthodontal work, which is bound to make my sister run like a hare the next time she sees him (she hates/fears dentists to an unreasonable degree). Also in attendance were my cousin and his lovely wife, two of the nicest people I know. We thought we'd mark the occasion by cracking open a bottle of champagne and drinking to my nephew's future glittering career. My Dad and I were quite thrilled about getting to drink champagne (we tend to be thrilled anytime we get near C2H5OH). Its such a celebratory drink, dont you think? While my cousins and nephew were very pleased by the appearance of the champagne their reaction was rather more subdued. My cousin's wife doesnt drink actually, but she's way too nice to be a spoilsport so she manfully gulped her portion down. My nephew had just one glass and then said his alcohol tolerance was rather low so he didnt want more. Only my cousin had a second glass and even he said he preferred something sweeter. If it werent for the champagne I'd have felt rather flat.
There is something to be said for the West and its general gushiness and appreciation of the efforts taken by hosts. It may be exagerrated but it definitely makes one feel gratified. Guess this is just a cultural thing. Why is it so difficult for me to understand my own culture?
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