Skip to main content

Life Lessons from Everyday things - The one from loving the salad at Pizza Hut

I miss them. The salad bars in Pizza Hut.

I often overthink it – why do they not have them in India?!

You might tell – Aren’t the pizzas more their thing, then why worry about the salad?  

Well. Go to the salad bar and then let’s talk!



That plate of salad is what I feel is absolute education.

In Pizza Hut, there is the scheme of paying for a plate and taking as much salad as you can in one short in that plate. As straightforward as it may sound, it is an exercise that challenges you and tests you on everyday skills!




The presence of mind to hold a napkin in your hand with the plate before you start – Initiate with purpose.

Holding it firmly and doing the mental calculation of what goes where and the approximate quantities – Planning.

Starting the layering and making those calculative moves – Be it the base layer of lettuce to avoid the runoff from the coleslaw and pickled beet or making sure the olives are embedded in the salads; silently recollecting the errors that happened in the previous plating; paying attention to the requirements of your tribe seated at the table – "please take an extra bit of potato salad!" – Execution

Knowing where to stop and not giving in for that final last spoon of corn to top it off – Monitor & Control

The final act of walking with that carefully built plate to your table, making sure that everyone on the table gets everything and that you transfer without spilling – Closeout.

That's literally everything I learnt academically in the last two years!

Sitting and watching different people at the salad buffet of Pizza hut has been one of the most satisfying and judgmental things I’ve done. I was envious of the ones who stacked like there was no tomorrow and I felt pity for the ones who stopped with a bit of corn and coleslaw because they couldn’t position the rest without running the risk of collapse.

I felt so proud of my dad who had the balance and craft to bring enough in a small plate for a table full of hungry humans. I look back at those days when he could balance that plate in one hand and do all sorts of victory gestures with his other while walking toward us.


#Lessons from everyday life 

Life lesson 1 – Sometimes you stuff more than you believe the plate can hold, and it turns out okay. In fact, it could be great.

Life lesson 2 – To assemble a plate that can hold more than what it is meant to hold - takes discipline & presence of mind. 

Life Lesson 3 – Just because pizza is expected to be the showstopper in a pizza hut, it need not be. Never underestimate the value added by things on the side. 


#ifyouknow,you know




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

my idea of Magical Acting Moments

When someone came up with  a list of  '50+ things only a Proud Mallu will understand', the first on list was a photo of Mohanlal with the caption - 'This man is part of your daily life. Literally!’ That says it all. Even after a series of uninspiring movies, how his brilliance on screen continues to leave so many in admiration.  So this particular post will cater to a smaller group. To be specific – malayalis and those who follow Malayalam cinema. To be a little more specific – malayalis who likes the actor in Mohanlal. I thought when I say he is my personal favourite, I should be able to pick some screen moments that made me a lalettan fan!   Here's a look back at some of the magical acting moments - my most favorite ones - from a career that has entertained , enlightened and amazed us for last 30+ years. 10. SUMMER IN BETHLEHEM - The Stunning Cameo As Niranjan  'Naalu vayassukaariyaya ayalude makalude attu poya kunjikkai ente dehathaanu vannu veena...

Holding hands through changing contexts

 A few years ago, my two friends and I bonded over snacks and chat during our recess at school. Each of us struggled with different types of math problems, we had different dreams to chase, and we struggled with different challenges. Then one day we took off to different places to chase our dreams. Of course, we made promises to stay in touch; we shed tears because we thought we can’t live without each other, and we made our parents promise us national roaming plans so that we could talk our hearts out. Fast forward – more than a decade later - multiple milestones, wins, and falls later – we three managed to transcend and keep it together. Technology nurtured our bond and it worked fine. Then one day, we decided to take some time to catch up in person in another country. It was a dream and fortunately, it was simply beautiful. On reflecting upon my experience of being part of a close group for so many years, I penned down a few things before and after the trip – BEFORE When we ...

Metro Man

I spent my last five months in an architectural firm in ahmedabad and was mainly involved in the upcoming metro rail project of the city . This is when I read more about the transportation network in India and came across a lot of interesting details. In this process, I learnt more about one man who by the virtue of his hard work and dedication brought comfort to Indians – E. Sreedharan – true icon of our times! 56 successive years, in a single job, without a break – but barely anyone talking about him. Is it simply because, Dr Sreedharan, is not a typical Indian Success Story? As in, he is not an IITian nor is he from an IIM. He is not from a minority community. He did not study under street lamps. He did not milk cows to pay for his schooling. He is neither an actor nor a singer. Oh and he is not a cricketer! He was just a simple middle class Indian, who went about his job – the man who probably contributed the most to our infrastructure and that too silen...