“Square Meal”

Scene at Dinner Time, the 2nd night when the Hostel Mess opened. Having just arrived at M.H.H, we “Freshers” were pretty quite, well behaved & properly attired! The Seniors were boisterous & being the month of July & Delhi being hot, a few of them were clad in shorts & skimpy tops with a bit of cloth “dupatta” (scarf) thrown over to cover their modesty? & some were in their nightdress or in their pyjamas! They eyed us........like a cat watching & waiting for the right time to pounce on a mouse!

At the tables...there were 3 rows of tables and in each row you had 2 tables.........the Seniors took it for granted that they had all the rights to sit wherever they felt like. Thus, some of us “Freshers” got pushed around or were squeesed in between them. One “Fresher” landed at the same table with a Stuck Up Senior who thought she was very clever. This “Stuck Up” lady made the poor girl’s dinner an ordeal! And how?

Miss Stuck Up – “Hey Fresher! Do you know what a square meal is?”
Miss Fresher – “Yes, Ma’am.” (By now, some of us have been told.....and the rest of us... word passed around that we were to address the Seniors as Ma’am!)
Miss Stuck Up – “Well, have a square meal then. Do you know how?”

It turns out that the “Fresher” had to pick up her food and take the spoon over her plate tracing an imaginary square and then eat it after which she had to say “Yum-Yum”. She had to do this for the entire meal! How sick! A Bully I would call, Miss Stuck Up.....nothing less.