bird flew

From my childhood; i always wondered - how a shop keeper resists the temptation to eat what he sells?? -especially when its ready-to- eat stuff. I do agree that he has a business and if he eats and all that blah-blah, but afterall he is also a human being with a stomach, eye and tongue and in any case he cant eat out the entire shop, can he? then where is the business loss?

You would say - he would be eating the stuff regularly at home and hence doesn't have the instinctive apetite for the same at shop. But that's exactly my question how he supresses his desire in shop? Or in other words, what makes us to purchase the same stuff again from his shop; are we the only ravenous beings - we being the non - shopkeepers? or doesn't the tribe of shopkeeper belong to mankind?? - On the contrary we need to be avaricious to the highest degree; atleast marginally greater than the shopkeeper's to fight against the universal human tendency to be stingy - and in such cases; more often than not win.

You would argue that he would be sick seeing/ eating the same in his shop to the extent that now he loves to sell but hates to eat. Let's question the veracity of this premise before gassing further. Consider the case when he gets the same stuff free from some other source - by chance and doesnt have to pay - have you ever seen the expression on his face??

This is exactly what happened today morning when i went to a nearby road side tea-stall for morning tea.

Scene:
8:00 AM morning. Fog settling down.
Mutton shop few shops after the tea-stall - of goat.

The shop keeper of this mutton shop puts things in order expecting another big day in life - bird flu being an unexpected shot in his arm. One truck carrying birds - chicken passes by; on the road. One bird from one of the cubes of the truck flies. The bird run helter-skelter but can't avoid the attention of this shopkeeper. This shopkeeper runs like a poor urchin - runs as if his life depends on the bird. The frigid weather being another dampner- ensuring that the new found freedom is not for long. The shop-keeper does all the acrobatics he knows - leaving his shop runs and finally manages to catch the hen. When he completes his senatorial run, he finds himself on the other side of the road. He scuttled towards his nearby house hiding the hen under his arms as if none had seen. His joy knows no bounds - he smirks, blushes, laughs as if he was chosen by God today to be the most lucky one. I must admit i was lucky myself to see the best of the juxtaposed human emotions- natural joy, brazen shamelessness and childlike innocence - and all original.

Given a chance to relive my life - I would love to be one unconventional shop -keeper :)