Hot Chai. Crispy Brown Samosas.

“Don’t forget the chutney”. Mom calls out.

The smell wafts through the house. I know this is coming when the first drops of rain fall on the parched ground. The mud gives off this hard-to-describe smell.

In Karachi, the city where I grew up, rains are scarce. And when it comes, so do chai and samosas.

Why? you ask.

I don’t know.

But its family time. Everyone sits on the porch and sips hot tea, eats samosas and watches the rain.

And mind you – this is real rain. It rains cats and dogs in Karachi…and bring in some other animals as well. Not the annoying, constant drizzle I often experience in Toronto.

I can see some of my friends rolling their eyes as I romanticize the rain in Karachi.

Soon, the the news will be flooded with clogged drains, accidents, traffic jams, power failures

But. For now….

Hot Chai.

Crispy Samosas.

And don’t forget the chutney!

Photo by Nikolay Zakharov on Unsplash