Those of you who use gmail and gchat will have seen the news that gchat has gone from monogamous chatting only to full on orgy mode:
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Guess who’s coming to dinner? |
My reaction to this news is that it’s about time! Not the move to group chat, but the use of Vivek in an example. I mean, if you go into one of the many googleplex fine dining establishments and holler “Yo – Vivek!” you know how many people would turn around? So what took Google so long?
Of course, if they’re going for versimilitude here, Vivek would probably not be going camping with Todd (not unless they were a couple) but instead with a truckload of other desis, especially if Vivek is an IBD. The example should really say something like “Group chat – so 10 desi couples can coordinate their camping plans!” The chat would show people discussing who was bringing the dal, who was bringing the chaval, how many kinds of pickles were necessary for an overnight camping trip, whether a pressure cooker will work over a campfire, etc.
Actually, on second thought, I think we’re better off with the example provided. I don’t think even Google’s mighty servers could survive the surge in load from brown people going camping alone, not to mention brown people coordinating movies, dinners, or weddings. Back to Todd and Vivek it is.
Yay! Group chat and Emoticons!
But Viveks response seems kinda out of place.. “Thats great”…to what???
And here I thought the Vivek in your title was Vivek Oberoi… or maybe it is…
instead with a truckload of other desis, especially if Vivek is an IBD‘
Oh, please. ABDs don’t hang out with other desis?
Maybe Todd is also be desi – maybe he is really Todar Mal, or Thotadri, or Dodda Basavappa.
Oops, sorry, please delete “be” from the comment above. I wish I could edit my comment 🙁
Saw this yesterday and I thought they had that message personalized!! Good for Google anyways 🙂
If Vivek were IBD he would say “No camping,let’s go trekking instead”
Hey Ennis, it was about time for google. Maybe you should follow their lead too. 😉 I think your sentence would probably read better if you added “…chances are Vivek would not….” to it. 🙂 Oh, the irony.
Another day, another victory.
since when do indians go camping?
But have they extended the group chat to the gtalk application – so far it only seems to be working with gmail!..
Another stereotype is that ABDs ONLY hang out with other ABDs…
I’ve yet to see brown people coordinate anything en masse.
.. but i just had to say this post really gave me a pre-wknd chuckle; thanks bro
I think Vivek was being sarcastic, like he didn’t really want Todd to go. The punctuation tells the story. After Todd says, “yeah, I’m in!”, Vivek follows up with a “That’s great …” . The ellipse tips his hand.
I actually have two co-workers who’re called Vivek and Todd, so I did a double-take when I saw that chat yesterday on Google, and thought it was personalized off my computer (not just gmail)! And I’m so, so glad Sepia Mutiny exists and there’s a whole bunch of us who can co-gloat about this 🙂
We’re in it to win it. Watch out.
A few years ago when I was looking through the promotional material for a computer I’d just purchased, I realized that there were more Asian Americans in computer ads than just about anywhere else in the mainstream media. Especially at that point, it was easier to find a space alien on TV than a person of Asian ancestry (I’m pretty sure I read that statistic somewhere at the time!)
I was half impressed that Apple was employing some Asian models for their ads, and half depressed that the models were stuck in the tech ghetto.
I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that Vivek rhymes with the following English words:
shake, bake, rake, lake, snake, wake, make, fake, cake, take
and NOT:
wreck, week, muck
Why does it always have to be what an ABD or IBD would do….
I have been “camping” since the mid-70s in India. There is lots of wilderness, the tents were not as sophisticated as they are now, but yeah I’ve gone camping complete with compass, camp gear, camp fire etc. both in reserved areas in south India and in the lesser Himalayas up north. And done a lot of camping in the beautiful national parks here since moving here too. 🙂
Group chat on gmail will be great.
Re Comment#14
It could also be that Vivek has a crush on Todd and is initially thrilled that he will be coming camping. But then he realizes that while he has been fantasizing about being Todd’s boyfriend for months, he doesn’t have the courage to confront him. The ellipses (…) are Vivek’s nerves giving way, at the panic of spending a week-end in the wilderness with Todd, knowing that this is his shot at what he wants, but also knowing he will ultimately chicken out.
But not to worry, Vivek’s is fickle and melodramatic. Next week he’ll be on love with Hans.
Are you sure it’s not this kind of camp? That might explain Vivek’s elliptical hesitation – what if mummy and daddy saw him?
Actually, the example is reflective of MY camping reality. Invariably, my desi friends are not interested in camping/outdoor stuff, so I end up exchanging such msgs or going on trips with people named Todd, Jane, or Liz.
The Goog is like that only. Diwali, camping at Lake Tahoe by Desis, not so Desis, and proper esi food for lunch and dinner, etc….
Now Maine can talk to Florida! But does Maine have anything to say to Florida?
And as my friend Piyush (no, not Bobby) points out … what are we to make of the “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” tag on the chat window? (The movie of that name is a classic on the theme of American prejudice against interracial dating.)
The tag was added by the blogger and was not part of the original Google web page. Click on the image to see the original.
This is a cross-generational relationship because Vivek uses capitalization consistently. Or maybe it’s just Google revealing that subconscious nerdy desi stereotype thingie again.
whether a pressure cooker will work over a campfire
I’m sorry, I normally lurk and don’t post, but THAT is funny. lol.
I guess that is pretty true in general. Like many desis I still cant figure why anyone would WANT to sleep in a tent rather than a bed. The outback is great but I wont camp – not with all those damned flies around.
On another note both Todd and Vivek are male names. Gender inclusiveness is not a google hallmark I suppose.
Don’t forget the trans-gendered folks. They also use google talk. 😀
Melbourne Desi,
You’re right. When I was in Oz, the Indians I came across seemed every bit uninterested in the fact that they’re living in such a perfect environment for camping. They seemed more intent on being in the stadium for Sharukh Khan’s filming of that hockey movie there. Or, the pool tables in bars, where you could find endless foursomes of brown guys shooting pool with each other.
It’s a pity. Bribie Island, Frazier Island, Cairns, the tropical North, Great Barrier Reef. I really regret not having gone camping more. Never could convince friends.
I love the water. I love hiking. I can’t help it, I’m a Northern California boy, the brown John Muir, if you will.
I think a love for the outdoors is definitely something we should hand down to our children. Really people, this is something that should deserve one, if not more non-profits working FOR THE CAUSE.
I have a pet peeve. I hear about people going on disgusting Contiki tours and it really disappoints me. I mean… c’mon people… is that any way to see the world?
When you’re traveling, go on hikes, camp on beaches, backpack, go snorkeling. You don’t have to go all out, to the Mountain Dew Code Red status.
For instance, my favorite ‘guidebook’ is called, “The Hikers Guide to Oahu”. There are like 40 hikes in this book and I’ve done like 5. Still, I can just close my eyes and imagine myself on another new trail 🙂
You can find trails along the coast for whale-watching, challenge your physical conditioning on the “Stairway to Heaven”, or just get a different perspective of Waikiki from Diamondhead and Kokohead Craters.
The point is, our generation seems to be geared toward staring at little screens. And I’m concerned. We’re creating a generation of people who freak out the second the bars on their cellphone disappear 🙁
If Indians are not ‘supposed’ to be into camping and the outdoors, I think we should take steps to make sure it becomes a part of our culture.
Mira is right. So is the person who caught the punctuation. “…” definitely signifies Vivek’s reservations about having to, yet again, endure Todd’s antics.
Right on, brother. Have you ever been up to Point Bonita? Just discovered it last year. Simply stunning.
I love hiking as well and I’ve yet to meet another desi who loves water as much as I do. I’m training for my first scuba diving license and I love snorkelling and swimming as well. Desis in my experience seem to hate to get wet.
Meena: Looks like you are yet to meet a number of hikers. We have hikers who wear sarees and have been hiking since the early 60 in the US no less ;-)! We go scuba diving and the rest of the water sports. I would think that some of the hesitation is that Indians are a trifle worried about wearing swimsuits which may be the cuase for not seeing them jump into water. While the next generation may not have any hesitation in wearing bikinis or swimsuits and jumping into the water. Think about it. To tell a whole culture that the women should generally be covered up and then wondering why they don’t wear swimsuits exposing most of their bodies….
Or Point Reyes. Simply magnificent!!
Even in the coastal regions of India, the only people who know how to swim really well are the fishermen, not even their wives. Bodies of water in India are for purificatory “bathing” more than for swimming.
If you travel to Fiji or the South Pacific, you will find that the people are very conservative in dress there. While most tourists are oblivious to this, women who are culturally sensitive will wear shorts and a t-shirt over their tops.
There is a generational gap. My mom would much rather spend her time on the beach with a giant vacuum sucking up all the sand–she absolutlely hates the stuff.
I’ve always wondered if there is a business model lurking in helping South Asians ‘go green’. A Brown ‘Outward Bound’-type program?
If you look at the Jewish community, the people we’re compared to most often in the US, you see that they built their vacation spots around very beautiful outdoor settings.
If there was a real “luminary” in the Silicon Valley set, they would build a bunch of ‘eco-lodges’ all over North America for the use of outdoor-minded brownies.
“If you build it, they will come”
Swimwear trends may be moving in the opposite direction b/c of concerns of skin cancer – friends of mine in AU wear a UV protecting shirt and sometimes bottom when they go to the beach … same with some friends in CA …
My cousin often commented, “what the poor do by neccessity in India, the middle class does for fun in Europe”, upon her return from working in Switzerland, regarding camping out and bathing (swimming) in rivers.
For her such activity was not “fun” and her Swiss friends had a hard time convincing her to join them. Maybe this attitude also contributes to the low numbers of desi swimmers and campers.
Actually, shorts are generally inadequate. Long sarongs (or if you’re in Samoa, the lavalava) are best, preferably past the knees, ideally down to the ankles.
How can you actually swim in a sarong? Wouldn’t the waves knock it off and wouldn’t all that cloth pull you down and pose a danger? I guess those who wear sarongs and such in water don’t actually swim but probably just wade and frolic in shallow waters. Swimming in deep waters requires swimming attire.
also called a rashie. Yes – the surfing attire like wetsuits is now penetrating the swimming world.
Funnily enough I love the water but hate camping. I also cant stand cycling – why would anyone cycle to work !!!!! Meena – yes I know in the Netherlands everyone cycles. OZ is fantastic for camping. Just not for me. I cant imagine defecating in the open – brings back some painful memories of younger years.
I’m so jealous – you live in such a beautiful country, and I just can’t understand why trekking and the outdoors doesn’t appeal to you…
Cycling is cheap and quick. A lot of people I know don’t learn driving until their early twenties.
If you’re a deft fabric folder, a long sarong can become an unsatisfactory caudal fin.
What makes it a lot easier is: a. showers at workplace (my previous employer used to have that) or a gym nearby, unless you have a very short ride that doesn’t get you (too) sweaty, and b. if there are no highways along the way.
In India my sister, sister in law, mother and cousins often try to swim in the sea in salwar kameez or saris. It does not work. They often complain that the weight of the cloth drags them to the bottom and then they have to deal with sand burns. Finally my sister said, “F*** tradition” and bought a bathing suit and is much safer, happier and can actually enjoy swimming when we go to the beach.
Meena, let’s swap friends. I’m not outdoorsy and often feel like a misfit because of it.
I hear that. I have NEVER seen another brown face at my neighborhood pool. While I know several desis who golf, play tennis or squash, and run, swimming has not caught on yet, for whatever reason.
That’ll be the day. Idli for breakfast, then a 10 mile hike. Works for me.
Only 55 minutes south of the Golden Gate:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523
Año Nuevo State Reserve is the site of the largest mainland breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal
It’s a bit of a hike out to the point. Special treat when Seals are present–MASSIVE creatures.