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The Most Expensive Plate Of Chaat I Ever Ate

How my love for chaat cost me two brand-new dresses.

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My younger brother always used to say, “The day I get my first salary, I’m taking you shopping.”

The day finally came, and he was more excited than I was.

Without wasting any time, he said, “Come on, let’s go shopping.”

After visiting what felt like every shop in the market, I finally bought two beautiful dresses—one yellow and one wine-colored. I was so excited that I had already started imagining how I would style them.

The shopkeeper packed them neatly in a white carry bag, and we headed home. Now, if you know me, you know one thing about me...

I’m a foodie.

And it was the middle of winter. Our market has an entire street famous for its chaat stalls. The aroma of hot chaat, tikki, and sweet corn fills the air.

For a foodie like me, walking past that street without stopping is almost impossible. We stopped at one of the stalls and ordered chaat. It was so delicious that I completely forgot about everything else.

Then my younger brother said, “You have to try the sweet corn here too. They make the best corn chaat.”

Well... who was I to say no?

Holding the shopping bag while eating was a bit difficult, so I placed it on the counter of the stall.

We enjoyed our food, chatted for a while, and then headed home. By the time we reached home, it was already late, and my mother was busy in the kitchen.

I proudly told her, “Mom, my little brother bought me two beautiful dresses with his first salary!”

I couldn’t stop talking about how my younger brother was old enough to take me shopping. We had dinner and went to bed.

After finishing all her work, my mother came into the room and said, “Now show me the dresses.”

Excitedly, I went to get the shopping bag from the car.

It wasn’t there.

I searched everywhere.

Nothing.

I immediately rushed back to the market. Most of the shops had already closed, so we first went to the chaat stall, but they hadn’t seen it.

Then we went to the sweet corn stall. The vendor said, “Yes, I saw the bag. A woman standing here claimed it was hers, so I gave it to her.”

I felt so sad. I kept hoping she would realize it wasn’t hers and return it to the stall. But she never came back. Neither did my dresses.

When I reached home and told everyone what had happened, they laughed so hard. One of them said, “So today, you ate chaat worth ₹7,000!”

Even today, whenever we go shopping, someone in my family says, “First feed her chaat… then take her shopping!”

And everyone bursts into laughter.

Years have passed, but that shopping trip still comes up every time we visit the market.

I guess some memories are simply too funny to be forgotten.

To this day, that plate of sweet corn and chaat remains the most expensive one I’ve ever eaten.

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