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| Gabriel at his shop, Angelz General Store |
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| Breakfast of bhaji pao and mirchi at Raia |
- Brian Mendonca
This morning my breakfast was at Raia. I had gone to collect a cook-and-serve pot which we had taken on Sunday for our school boys' get-together.
Breakfast was a bonus. Gabriel made it easier for me. 'I'll keep the pot at my shop,' he said, saving me the trouble of going to the venue.
Sure enough, it was sitting there on an upturned yellow plastic crate. Gabriel invited me for breakfast at Mukta - the restaurant next door. It turned out to be a delicious affair with bhaji, kadak pao, mirchi and tea - which was served in a delicate cup and saucer which was quite edifying.
Gabriel and me ate our breakfast, with him getting up intermittently when customers approached his shop, to serve them. The shop is named 'Angelz' after his daughter who is studying in Bangalore at the Bangalore Cricket Academy and training to be a cricketeer. 'Her name is Angel Gabriel,' he said matter-of-factly.
In the moments he was not there, a gent sat at the table and produced a small bottle of drink which he asked the server to mix in a glass.
Gabriel knew almost everyone by name. They wished him in Konkani like he was a long lost friend, and he wished them back. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. It was a great way to start the day. He always refered to the server as Arun, treating him with dignity and respect.
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| The precious pot |
After our 'nashta' we went to his shop. It sits off the Ponda- Margao highway and is a stone's throw from the Raia cemetery. 'Take a look,' he said. It was well-stocked. I bought a few items. I took a photo of him - he looked very happy. He works very hard to keep the shop going. He is at his post from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the morning and 2 p.m. till evening.
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