Greetings everyone! This Mohammad Sumon! from #Bangladesh

^{Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well by the grace of the Almighty.}

Today, I am very excited to share my entry for the Contest organized by the Story On Steem community. A special thanks to the community admin & modarator @pea07 & @sohanurrahman Brother, for hosting such an engaging competition.

^{Spreading positivity and creativity through my words.}

Flavors of My World

Whenever I get a little breathless in this busy city life, my mind wants to run away to the roots, to that familiar path. On a recent vacation, I went to my village home in the beautiful Bhola district. Every moment spent in that quiet village, away from the artificial noise of the city, was very peaceful. However, the most beautiful afternoon of that trip was spent sitting in the shop of one of my relatives. The shop is a grocery and tea shop called Ms. Fahim Store, and under the same roof, a homely hotel has been built, called Allah Bhorsa Bhatghar. My little daughter Muntaha was with me. Today, I will share with you the story of that afternoon, mixed with rural hospitality, familiar-taste chats, and the life struggle of rural people.

Visit to Bhola's Tea Stall & Eatery

This food stall is located right in front of the Dockyard on Kheaghat Road in the Bhola district. It is basically a traditional area meeting place, where local common people, dockyard mechanics, workers, and pedestrians come and go throughout the day. Most of the customers of this shop are dockyard workers.

This shop is known for its tea snacks and traditional homemade rice. Here, delicious hot tea from Ms. Fahim Store, a variety of soft drinks, and groceries are available. Besides, under the same roof, the Allah Bhorsha Bhatghar banner sells everything from hot paratha-bhaji in the morning to fresh fish broth, meat, and various types of bhara-bhaji in the afternoon and evening in a completely homely atmosphere. In short, this place is well known for its affordable and delicious food.

In my opinion, it is very difficult to run and survive in a village or a rural area by relying on only one business. My relative has taken this great initiative to keep the source of income active and to make the family self-sufficient. It is difficult to believe how two different jobs can be done in the same shop without seeing the shop.

Due to the fact that there are two jobs in one shop, its popularity among the local people and customers is huge. On the one hand, people get satisfaction from chips, biscuits, or afternoon tea at Messrs. Fahim Store; on the other hand, working people rush to Allah Bhorsha Bhatghar to satisfy their hunger at noon or night. Due to the friendly behavior, cleanliness, and tireless work of the proprietor Md. Farhad Mal, this place has become very dear and trusted by the hardworking workers of the nearby dockyard and ordinary passers-by.

When my daughter Muntaha and I reached the shop in the soft afternoon light, my relative was very happy to see us. My little daughter Muntaha sat down on the wooden bench inside the shop. She is used to the four walls of the city, so her eyes were sparkling with surprise when she saw the well-decorated shelves of the shop, the various packets of chips arranged neatly, the glass jars, and the hanging packets of jhalmuri. My daughter would like to have drinks, so I bought her Mojo.

Since it was afternoon, the afternoon rice meal was over, and the preparations for the night's cooking and tea chats were in full swing. My relative prepared hot steaming tea for us by putting a kettle on the gas stove. And he gave Muntaha some light snacks and chips. For me, I sipped that tea in a rural environment and talked to the local people and learned about their simple lifestyle. It was awe-inspiring to see how one man worked so hard to manage two businesses at once. We spent some time there and enjoyed the familiar atmosphere of rural life.

Bengali chatting, tea, and rice—these three things are inextricably linked to our culture. I think these small shops of ours in Bhola are not just business centers; they tell the story of the tireless work and struggle of our hardworking people to turn around and the real food culture and life struggle. This business of rice and tea together proves that with honesty and hard work, it is possible to pull the family together beautifully, even in any adverse environment. Eating rice to the brim at a low cost and making a storm in a teacup—these simple joys and life struggles have sustained our rural tradition and food culture for ages.

Location Code and Other Information

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