Looking for love?

“How much are those cherries for?” “2 quids a box, love.” “And these tomatoes?” “A pound for a pound, darling.”I was aghast and gawked for a moment. I was just a week old in Reading, England, when I had gone shopping at a farmers’ market. The prices didn’t register; what rang in my ears was the ‘darling’ bit. How could he? I was fuming and to drive home the point, I gave the shopkeeper the worst possible withering look before moving on to the next stall.

“What do you want, love?” Here too, the conversation followed pretty much the same pattern. I was flabbergasted. Then mercifully, another lady came along and she got ‘loved’ and ‘darlinged’ the same way and so did the third. None of them took any affront. Rather, they were as cool as the cucumbers they were choosing and proceeded with their shopping nonchalantly. So it wasn’t just me after all!

Relieved, I stepped back and listened to conversations. I noticed that ‘love’, ‘darling’, ‘sweetheart’ and ‘honey’ were pouring down as thick and fast as the English rain. All the shopkeepers, whether male or female, addressed their customers with these affectionate words.

In due time, I got used to the fact that the English say these words in the same fashion as Gujaratis use ‘ben’ and ‘bhai’. These appendages are just a way of addressing and are not to be taken literally. ‘Ben’ and ‘bhai’ are so inherent to the Gujarati language that a husband doesn’t bat an eyelid when addressing his wife as a certain ‘ben’. I remember an old lady recounting her youthful days. “I had many suitors but my heart was set on Hardikbhai,” she gushed. “I almost swooned with joy when he proposed to me.” Hearing this, I too would have swooned, had I not known better.

Slowly, I got used to being called ‘love’ and ‘darling’ in these farmers’ markets. Now it all sounded very Victorian and quaint to me. How context changes perception! The only grouse I nursed now was against my husband. I jokingly complained to him that I was called ‘darling’ and ‘honey’ much too often by the shopkeepers than by my own husband. This time, it was my turn to get a withering look!

So if you find yourself on English shores and feel a need for love, head to a farmers’ market where love is always in the air. You will sure feel loved. There’s a hitch though. Farmers’ market happens only on certain days of the week. If you want love on any other day, you’d better look for alternatives.