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I was at my friend Kanishka’s place the other day, when I pulled out a Ziploc bag from my bag. Here’s a more or less faithful transcript of the conversation it triggered off –
Kanishka: Why are you carrying around sandwiches in a plastic bag?
Gaurav: Ah! Haven’t I told you that I’m off consumption for a year?
Kanishka: (chuckles) I bet you won’t be able to spend a month without consuming alcohol! But what is the connection between not consuming alcohol and carrying around sandwiches?
Gaurav: (smiles) Actually, I’m off consumption in the sense that I’m not buying anything for a year; well, anything that’s not a necessity anyways. Which means no eating out, no going out for movies or plays, no shopping, and no maidservant. So, whenever I go out, I carry some sandwiches with me, in case I get hungry.
Kanishka: (concerned) But why have you gone off consumption? Why didn’t you tell me you had financial problems?
Gaurav: (laughs) No, no, I’m not broke! It’s a year long experiment to understand why we choose to consume, or not. I’m even writing a book about it. It’s online; you should check it out sometime.
Kanishka: (confused) But, why would you go off consumption if you don’t have financial problems? Surely, at least part of it would be about saving money?
Gaurav: No, no, not at all. In fact, I’m spending money on a Google AdWords campaign to promote the book.
Kanishka: (even more confused) But still…
Gaurav: Actually, if I did have financial problems, I probably wouldn’t have been able to turn my frugality into a public performance. Only because I feel secure, in terms of both money and status, I can be confident enough to do it.
Kanishka: (distracted) Okay, what sandwiches are these? I’ll take one.
Gaurav: Ah! These are my favorite cheese-capsicum-banana sandwiches. Here, take one. (offers a sandwich)
Kanishka: (makes a face) How can you eat cheese-capsicum-banana sandwiches! (still distracted) Did you lose a lot of money in the stock market crash?
Gaurav: (sighs)
Comments (4)
A very interesting conversation i must say, You are more interesting person than i have imagined, Great going Dude.
I have nothing against banana capsicum sandwiches. Tiku is the one who nearly puked.
And buying Ziploc bags is not consumption? In whose dictionary? And it is a necessity? Wrap your sandwiches in a newspaper, even though it’s unhealthy!
@Ruhi: Well, I haven’t really decided whether Ziploc bags (and Johnson ear buds, to give you another example) are necessities. I’ll cross that bridge when I finish my stock of Ziploc bags. I have enough to last me a few months as of now.