Classic example of us ever comparing the city to the feels you get when you first set foot in New York City. That's every big city! For me it was coming into a bustling city again post sparse expanse Cincy. Felt like home! Feels, people. Crowd and filth. Ain't nobody's talking about architecture (Ahem, though we'd love to, ahem ahem). But any such mention equals pride (coz NYC is the shizz apparently). You, Bombayiites!
Then there's the assumption of retail existence.
Scenario 1: Monginis has been my most favorite bakery since childhood (don't tell me otherwise if you've been here forever, fancy doesn't count). I genuinely assumed it exists everywhere else in India . Happy assumption to spread the joy, no? Why should the rest of us lack the experience when there's soooo many of their branches in Bombay? But nope, they exist nowhere outside, and I'm awfully short sighted to claim it be. You, Bombayiites!
Scenario 2: I thankfully do not remember which retail it was this time. I wanna say Costa coffee as an example, strictly as an example (traumatic experience follows). Having learnt from short-sighted-assume-everything-Bombay-is everywhere, I now begin statements with, like in this example (strictly), "This place, Costa coffee..not sure if it's in your city too?..is awesome". Middle clause is added to remove any suggestion that I assume you know what I'm talking about exactly, as also trying to reaffirm if you in fact do thanks to national branching of the franchise. Better taken? Nope. How dare you imply that franchise doesn't exist in our city? You, Bombayiites!
So while Delhi claims monies and Indore claims culture and Bangalore claims nightlife and Chennai claims tech and smarts, Bombay gets its Chaat, and Leopold Cafe (Gregory Davis?). Talk about anything else and you're either ignorant or proud. We're like the whites scared of saying the word black. Shut up, coexist, eat thy pani puri (oh wait sorry gol gappas of the north, Bombay bhel puri ok?). We, Bombayiites!
