Page 28 - Masala Lite Issue 158 | February 2024

28 Nama-Slay!

Newlyweds: Your bridal henna may be fading
but your love isn’t! If this is your first Valentine’s
as a married couple, you can breathe a sigh of
relief that you don’t have to escape Sukhumvit,
like when you were secretly dating. Hubby will
definitely surprise you with red roses and heart-
shaped chocolates at a fancy dinner because
you haven’t been married long enough for him
to forget important dates. But a single day isn’t
enough — you will also plan a weekend beach
An unreformed party girl and mother of two, trip with a candlelit dinner, post all the photos
writer, editor and observer Sumati Huber tries to on social media with captions like “My forever
make sense of our unique Thai-Indian society and the Valentine,” and watch the waves crashing as
aunties that she will one day become.
forcefully as your passion.
What will your Valentine’s Day Married for a long time but still ‘cool’: You’ve
been together long enough to know that you
be like?
don’t need your husband to celebrate Valentine’s.
February is upon us and love is supposedly floating Sure, you love him but you still want to change
somewhere in the polluted air. Valentine’s Day (14 everything about him. Enter ‘Galentine’s’ — a day
February) isn’t a time where Indians fast or organise a to have fun with your female friends. Your ladies
pooja, but there’s no doubt that the coupled ones among won’t mock you for dressing up in red and pink, or Single: Who needs to be coupled up? Well, every Indian,
us will be looking to celebrate. However, Valentine’s get annoyed at taking a million photos together. Even according to their parents, or they will suffer in shame
Day might look different depending on if you’re… if the husbands did attend, everyone knows that they forever. But if you happen to be on the market you
will just end up sitting with the other men. Their only can still team up with your other single friends and
Secretly dating: Your parents have been stressed interaction with their wives will be when they need to hit the clubs (just kidding, you’re a nice Indian…you
about getting you married since you turned 18, but be told that dinner is ready, to stop drinking so much, would never do that). Rather, your best option is to stay
they don’t know that you are actually in a relationship. or that it is time to leave. So, forget them when you home and pray that you find a marriage partner soon
Since ‘dating’ is frowned upon, you have to be very have Galentine’s! because there will be some red roses and heart-shaped
careful where you can go to not be ‘caught’ by other chocolates in it for you.
Indians. You have tried out all the restaurants by the Past your 40th year anniversary: When you’ve been
riverside, ventured out to Ari, On Nut and other areas married forever, you don’t need to put aside a day to
with a lower chance of being spotted by community honour your love. If anything, Valentine’s is another
members. You most likely will find an under-the-radar excuse to have a joint family dinner because what’s
bar in Chinatown to spend Valentine’s evening where more important than that? You’re perfectly content
you don’t have to worry about any Indians you know discussing the simple things like what was on discount
venturing out on a weeknight. Now you just have to at the supermarket or how your plant is sprouting a
figure out where to tell your parents you are going all new leaf.
dressed up for on 14 Feb since you are ‘single.’