A recent Reddit post by user ‘SomethingAndAnything’ has sparked an engaging discussion on how to address a tea seller in India. What do you call them? “Bhai, ek chai dena (Brother, give one tea)” is one of the common ways to ask for a cup of tea from a chaiwala.
However, the 22-year-old Reddit user shared her experience in the r/indiasocial subreddit, stating that she used to call shopkeepers “Bhaiya” (brother) or “Uncle” based on their age. A recent interaction left her in an awkward situation after a chaiwala got offended when she referred to him as ‘Uncle,’ pointing out that he was only 36 and didn’t want to be called that.
Take a look at the Reddit post
At the age where I don’t know what to call the chai wala
byu/SomethingAndAnything inindiasocial
“It used to be so easy when I was a kid, it was either Bhaiya or Uncle, depending on how old I thought they were. But now? Half the workers are either my age or younger than me, not to mention that a guy got offended cuz I called him Uncle”, she wrote, narrating her problem and seeking advice from fellow Redditors.
