“You have 30 minutes”. This was the voice of our teacher, he warned us to take all necessary drinks, eatables etc for rest of 5-6 hours journey and come back before those 30 minutes ends.
It looked like a typical Pathan-Hazara region (an area in the north west frontier province of Pakistan) market, filled with so many locals, who have never seen a women without burqas ‘veils’. Thinking about my and my friend’s empty tummies and ignoring their shocking eyes, i stopped in front of a bakery looking shop. One healthy Halwai (who cooks sweets) welcomed me with sweetest smile. He was dipping green chillies and carrots in basin (sort of flour, typically used for frying things) and was adding them back to basket full of similar things. When i saw Pakoras (a snack very popular in asia), with waterly mouth and hungry tummy i asked him to make 2 packets and i pulled out my camera.
I have a habbit of carrying my camera wherever i go, and as photogrpahy has turnedout as my favourite hobby so i use to keep clicking everything i see, admire, or wanted to capture. When standing at that bakery cum snack shop, while the shopkeepers were busy in preparing my order, i didnot wasted time and clicked so many pictures, descriging all the process of making such yummy dish.
The helper kid picked up two small plates, put some snacks in it, and spread the fried green chillies and carrots stuffing on it.
Seeing my plates ready, i picked some drinks for my group and came back to bus. That was one of the yummiest thing in such cheapest price i ever ate. Still cannot forget the taste.
And after that day, whenever anybody is travelling towards that side of country, i am always insisting them to go and visit that shop. When they comes back, they always give me call to say thanks for telling them about such wonderful and tasty place on an unknown rural village road.
