Junior Vocab
Lunchbox Trade
Ananya: "Mmm, Amma packed lemon rice today. My favorite!"
Kabir: "Lucky! I got bitter gourd curry again."
Ananya: "Oh… you don’t like it?"
Kabir: "Everyone knows I don’t. It’s like the most undesired sabzi in the whole class."
Ananya: "But your lunchbox smells nice, yaar. All spicy and coconut-y."
Kabir: "Smell is okay. Taste is like chewing a sad medicine leaf."
Ananya: "Did you tell your Amma you don’t like it?"
Kabir:undesired guest style." "I tried. She said, ‘It’s healthy, Kabir.’ Now it visits my tiffin every Monday,
Ananya: "At my house, that’s lauki. When I see it in the sambar, I feel betrayed."
Kabir: "Exactly! One tiny bite and my tongue wants to run away."
Ananya: "Wait, I have an idea. Want to trade one spoon? My lemon rice for your bitter gourd?"
Kabir: "You actually want this undesired karela? Are you okay?"
Ananya: "I like the crunchy bits. And Amma says I’m a ‘karela champion’."
Kabir: "Fine, but if you faint, I’m telling Ma’am it was the karela."
Ananya: "Deal. Here, take this big spoon of lemon rice. Extra peanuts!"
Kabir: "Ooo, crunchy peanuts. This is the opposite of undesired."
Ananya: "See? Now your lunchbox is not so bad, na?"
Kabir: "Yeah. The karela is still undesired for me, but at least it found someone who actually wants it."
Ananya: "Poor karela. It just needed the right person."
Kabir: "And I just needed the right trade."