There are days when I realise that I am very much an entity on my own, without any immeidate family within a locus of a couple of thousand kilometres. And this hits me hard, and squarely in my face. On such days, I once again stop and wonder why and what exactly possessed me in the first place to get myself into such a situation.
Circumstances, agency, willfulness, optimism. These are some of the reasons that come immediately to mind. When asked, my usual reply is that I ran away from home. While it is not literally true, I did run away metaphorically; due to my (then) circumstances, my inflated sense of youthful agency and willfulness and of course the hedonistic optimism that once coursed through my veins. I wanted out from where I was. I wanted to be the captain of my own ship and the master of my own fate. I was headstrong and explored with every resource I had in my disposal, fuelled by an unfettered (and unjustified) belief that I will only meet success.
Regardless of my current state, certain things help me escape the realities of what is now and momentarily transports me back to a much less complicated time in my life. One is comfort food, or in my case, a particular canned drink.
Foods are always difficult to replicate especially in a foreign country. They simply never taste the way I remember it to be. But in a can, a drink can almost do the trick. Its a formula made for mass reproduction. Whenever I feel the need to retreat to an uncomplicated time, I open a can of chilled A&W root beer and pour it into a tall glass of ice. (It has to be absolutely cold to be right!)
This drink was a special treat, purchased only when we kids were well behaved during the week. The one and only A&W outlet then was in a neighbouring town and the trip there would be an occasion itself; full of expectations of what each of us will consume. For my siblings it will be the fried chicken but for me, it is always that first sip of the iced-cold root beer served from a large jug. And if we were really good and begged long enough, my dad will agree to takeaway a large 2 litre container of this nectar for treats at home during the week.
Surprisingly, there aren’t any A&W outlets in Australia that I know of. And even more surprising, for a long time I found it difficult to track down a store that stocks it. Now I can purchase it from most Asian grocery stores.
I always try to have a few cans stocked in my cupboard and reserve them for really special (and needy moments) when I simply just want to get lost temporarily to happier times and a happier place.
