Demand and Supply

Growing up, a non-negotiable demand of mine was that every meal had to be with yogurt.  It didn’t matter what my parents, various aunts, grandma put in front of me, I had to have yogurt on the side.  Otherwise, I wasn’t a fussy eater: so long as yogurt was next to my plate, I was happy to eat almost anything.

My yogurt demand was so predictable, there were days when my mom or grandmother (who lived with us and helped raise us during our school years) would go door to door to our neighbors with an empty saucer to ask the neighbors for some if it ran out at home.  

When we were invited over to friends or families’ houses for dinner, expectation was that yogurt be included in the menu.  Sometimes, just to tease me, my parents would serve lunch or dinner at home joking that they didn’t have yogurt.  I would promptly go back to my room, saying “I’m not going to eat.”  Hearing laughter from the dining room, I knew a prank was being played on me.  Hungry and curious, I would head back out to the fridge to confirm that yogurt was waiting for me.  

As I grew older, my demand softened.  If yogurt is available, I eat generous helpings. If it isn’t available, that is fine too.  Thing is, most of my family, in laws, and close friends know about my love.  So, a bowl of yogurt is usually waiting on the dinner table or chilling in the fridge.  [Jeet]