The Curse of the Bourgeoisie

I have great admiration for entrepreneurs, even the failed ones. Especially the failed ones. An entrepreneur is, by definition, "a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome."

Business is, by nature, a risky affair. If it isn't your own money you're risking, then it's someone else's. Or a relationship. A dream. Your pride. All the possibilities of one human being realized through such daring enterprise or heaven forbid, destroyed by it.

The corporate world, the default alternative, is simultaneously the saviour and the curse of the middle class. The foot soldiers who populate this world are bound by inertia, shackled by the comforts gleaned from being above average, yet suffer from discontentment borne from the knowledge that there is more to life than this wheel upon which they inexorably march.

Sure, there are those who rise to the top to become CEOs or COOs or other glittering acronyms with equally blinding paychecks. But the trek to the pinnacle of the corporate Everest is one which requires guile, tenacity, lack of shame and often, a complete absence of scruples (intelligence and the ability to do one's job competently are desirable but not always present traits).

Yet, the carrot dangled before the middle class corporate slave is one that is most difficult to decline. Because you see, the most you will ever lose is your job. Never your home, nor your life savings, nor the life savings of your spouse, your family members, your closest friends, and anyone else who believed in you and your idea. So on and on you slog, as day turns to night, night turns to day, weeks, months, years past, always tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll do something different, make a change in my life. Meanwhile, the money I make is enough to provide for a comfortable existence, even if it's not necessarily a happy one, so I'll continue plodding.

The thing is, Inertia and Fear are merciless masters, and should you be lacking in personal fortitude, they will forever have you in their grasps. For all my achievements, I have yet to find the Courage to free myself of Fear. Inertia, on the other hand, is a nemesis I battle on a day-to-day basis.

As Voltaire once said - "All men are equal. It is not their birth but virtue itself that makes the difference."

Virtue. And Balls.

Here's a healthy vege curry that's not too spicy and is easy on the tummy. Perfect for the faint-hearted.

Eggplant and Chickpea curry

1 large eggplant, cut in chunks

1x400gm tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 inch ginger, grated

2 red chillies, seeds removed, sliced finely

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tblsp tomato paste

450ml vegetable stock

0.5 tspn garam masala

fresh coriander

DIRECTIONS

Soak eggplant pieces in cold water for about 15 min. In a pot or pan, dry fry fennel and mustard seeds until they pop. Add some oil, allow it to heat up, then add onions, ginger, chilli and tomato paste and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Pour in stock, add eggplant and chickpeas. Simmer until most of stock has been absorbed. Stir in garam masala and coriander. Serve with basmati rice and cucumber raita.