I live in a suburb where almost every house has sent at least one son or daughter to the US. The other day, I was privy to a conversation between my friends Raj and Srini. Raj’s son and daughter are settled in America. Srini has magnanimously allowed his only daughter to emigrate for the betterment of Uncle Sam. Raj said, “My daughter and family are coming for a short vacation from the US. I am sprucing up my house to make it hospitable for my grandchildren,” and continued his narration.
“In the US, my grandchildren take bath only in a bathtub with a hand shower. The bathrooms in my house are small and cannot accommodate a bathtub. So I have enlarged one of my bathrooms by breaking the outer wall and extended the floor and roof by a few feet with the help of an experienced mason. I have fixed a bathtub with a hot and cold shower inside the extended bathroom. The children are also allergic to dust. I engaged house cleaning professionals and deep cleaned the floor, furniture, etc.“My first grandson is allergic to nuts. Peanuts and walnuts are out. I have removed all cooking oils extracted out of nuts and stocked enough olive oil.
“I have installed a solar water heater on the roof so that hot water will be available throughout the day. For drinking water, I am buying 20 litre mineral water cans with ISI markings and boiling the water to eliminate all germs. I cannot take risk and allow my daughter’s family to fall sick while in my house. During their last visit, they all fell sick with stomach ailments and needed medical attention.”
Srini said, “Buy some Recron pillows. They may be allergic to fine particles emitted by pillows stuffed with cotton. They live in a dust-free atmosphere and may start sneezing if they inhale fine dust.”
He continued, “Keep the room air-conditioners and fans clean. Dust and bacteria from those sources may
also cause health problems. Keep stock of paper napkins and handwash liquids.”
“What about food?” asked Raj. Srini said, ”I normally stock steel-cut oats and organic cornflakes for their breakfast. Muesli is an option, but if they are allergic to nuts you have to select dry fruits agreeable to them. My daughter prefers only organic rice, multi-grain brown bread, and organic fruits and vegetables”.“How long are they going to stay?” I interjected. “They are coming on a two-week holiday,” said Raj.