what can i say, i am a cheap guy! :)

For many months I have been thinking what I enjoy so much of going to my favorite restaurants here in Pune. Undoubtedly they all have great tasting food but thats not the only thing that gives me the most satisfaction. The idea that I can order anything I want, in any quantity I want and not spend more than $10 is very fulfilling! (Yes, obviously I do not go to yuppie/expensive restaurants that cost a lot more for a mere cup of coffee!) When we were in US, we would routinely spend $40-$50 on each restaurant visit!

As you can see part of the reason is because of the PPP (Purchasing power parity) between US and India. (But of course it also depends on individual taste and choice you make. e.g. I can spend more money going to a hip restaurant in Pune than most places in Seattle)

Coming back to my personal satisfaction index, I have realized that it is not how much money I make or whether I can afford something expensive. It is the differential between what I make and how much I spend that makes me more happy. If all this is confusing, all you can take away from this is that I am a cheap guy! ;)

i am loving it...

i am loving it, well not everything but couldn't help using it as a title for the blog! :)

Yesterday I through McDonald's drive through for the first time in life....in INDIA! I never thought I would be using a drive through in India. Why I make that statement would be apparent to everyone who has seen indian roads and size of the shops. However the outskirts of cities, such as Hinjawadi IT infotech park near Pune is (relatively) better planned and hence has the luxury of having drive through (at least until that area gets densely populated)

Couple of observations and comparisons (w.r.t. US) of the indian McDonald drive through experience,

1. I was the only car in the drive through...
2. The annoying non-working mic/speaker system was not present. Instead I used one window to place an order.
3. The drive through is clockwise unlike the anticlockwise drive through of USA. Felt a bit wierd when I noticed it! (This is obviously because cars in India are right hand drive)
4. I asked for Large fries and asked the guy whether they have anything bigger than large. That guy looked at me as if I was crazy! :) BTW, does anyone else hate the coffee cup size system Tall, Grande, etc.? It took me long time to remember that Tall is actually the smallest size you can buy! LOL