Many cannot think beyond themselves and consider their own preferences as universal.

For example, I have noticed how if they like sambar (a lentil-based vegetable stew), they assume everyone else likes it too and in case they do NOT, they assume no one else does. Now, if they DO like sambar and prefer it to be more spicy and thick in consistency, they assume the whole world likes it that way.  It never ever occurs to them that there are those who love the free-flowing variety or those who may go easy on the spices.

If truth be known, there are not just those who like sambar in the should-stay-where-poured avatar and those who swear by should-be-free-flowing-enough-to-find-its-own-way avatar. As is the case with almost everything in this world, there exist multitudes whose preference lies somewhere in between the two, and yet others who couldn’t care less if the sambar stayed put or disappeared from sight as long as it tasted like sambar.

It is good to recognize that people differ, and so do preferences.

©Shail Mohan 2017