I could see him in the distance effortlessly cycling towards us. Unmindful of the hungry eyes, with utmost nonchalance, he began to arrange his paraphernalia. 6 minutes passed and the queue slowly started moving. The sun was out today but the gusts of wind from Lincoln’s Inn Fields made me shiver. This is exactly what Heidi felt when she visited her grandparents in the mountains or so I thought. I dropped a pound to the collection box and took the bland rice and lentil curry. This is not food for a King, if you are a King. But this is food for a King, if hunger is your King. The difference is subtle, but considerable. As a born Hindu, and a practicing human (not Hindu, Muslim or anything), I said a silent thank you to the sun for the effort to shine and another thank you to the man serving us.
It has been a long journey – from the deserts of Dubai to the cobbled streets, at least some are, of London. From a near 50 degree summer, to a 10 degree autumn – it has been quite a ride. While I had another morsel of the food, it took me back to my time in India. The near perfect lentil and rice mix (Daal Kichdi) you get in any Dabba (small road side shacks mainly for serving truck drivers) are to die for. The memory of those days satiated my senses and the bland food in front of me filled my stomach.
Life at LSE is hectic. There is no dull moment. Maybe there is, but I really don’t have time to think about it. At LSE, in my department at least, people love regression. So why shouldn’t we? If we were to observe – time food arrives, time taken to setup, time taken to serve and time you get food, depending on your position in the queue, you’ll be able to make a model that will help you manage your time better (lesser time in the queue). Of course, you will have to add dummy variables such as rain, exam, etc. But here is some free advice – if you want muffins, go early. No regression can tell you that. Trust me.
My food is cold, I have a seminar to attend and Adele just said ‘Hello’, I have to go. You can’t keep Adele waiting, can you? Bon appetit people!
