As I enter the narrow seating area, I choose a table with a cozy corner all to myself. I look up to the familiar thaatha and order my regular—chicken biryani. I wait in eager anticipation as I prepare myself to take in the ever-familiar aroma of the crisp, deep-fried chicken and the fragrant basmati. Soon enough, my order arrives and I jump up in wild excitement, inside my mind. I make sure my sleeve fold is firm as I look at it the way a child would look at an ice-cream cone.