The Shanghai Chronicles

I don't have anything Shanghai-specific to write about today. Actually, I just wanna comment on one trait that's been perfected to an art among desis - story-spinning. Chorna, as it's called.

Tonight, I found my Indian chef friend again (from the last post). The first thing he said was, "Akram, what a cricket match last night! Congratulations on Pakistan winning!"

I thanked him, thinking that this guy really followed his cricket. "Afridi really came through for Pakistan, didn't he?"

He laughed and came clean. "Well, to be honest, I didn't actually watch the match. I only know what I read in the headlines this morning."

I laughed back. The truth was that I hadn't seen the match either - I only knew tidbits from a gmail conversation with friends from the morning. Afridi's name had popped up, so I'd decided to throw it out.

So at night, I was telling my mother all this. She started laughing and said, "Afridi kahaan se aa gaya hai? Kamaal kartay ho Hasnain. Younis ne match jitwaya tha!" I laughed back sheepishly, thinking that my chorna skills obviously couldn't face up to somebody who'd actually watched the match.

Well, it turns out she hadn't seen the game either - only overhead a conversation about it at lunch at some restaurant. A conversation at a neighboring table, no less.

This, my friends is classic chorna in action!