Holidays are a boon. Especially when one stays in places that offer complimentary buffet breakfasts. To me, that is the ultimate luxury. Imagine just rolling out of bed and walking across to a hall where the most tantalising spread is laid out. All mine for the asking. Effortless.
I’m no longer lonesome on my ownsome. In fact, I’m happy as a clam as I hop, skip and dance to the different counters displaying their delectable wares. I get to work right away, sampling all the various delights, some delicious, others not so much, and still others that make me gag.

If I start with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (I discover it is from a tetra pack after I take a sip), I have no choice but to pick up another glass, this time of pineapple juice. Nah! Too sour. Both glasses are set aside without a backward glance as I traipse off to the counters displaying varieties of cakes and muffins. Pick up a muffin and plonk it on my plate. Some idli and sambar are added along with some sausages, a waffle topped with maple syrup, a croissant, upma too, some yoghurt, and for good measure a poori and some bhaji.

You are thinking of all that on one plate! But I have settled down at a table for four and distributed the food evenly across different plates. I take a bite of the croissant. Too cold. It is set aside. The muffin was too sweet, two bites were all I could manage. But the upma was quite alright so I polished it off. I asked for a cup of coffee but I’m used to good old masala tea so I ordered that too. No sooner did I take one sip of each than I noticed someone with a plate laden with freshly cut fruit. How did I miss that?

I jumped up, picked another plate and heaped it with fruit. A little while later, I walked off to order a fried egg, for what’s a breakfast without an egg? When my egg arrived accompanied by a hot toast, I shoved all the other plates aside. Now this was just right! After two weeks of the complimentary breakfast buffet, I reached home to find the button of my jeans evading the buttonhole. I wonder why. I hardly ate anything.

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