My brother's 26th Birthday

How does it feel to be the 'eldest'? To have responsibilities on your shoulders from a very young age. To get mature because circumstances demand you to be the 'matured elder brother'? I never had the privilege or the burden of being the eldest in the family. I have two elder brothers who have acted their whole lives making their younger brothers believe that life is going smoothly.

Ever since I got old enough to get a grip on things going around in our family, I have realized the importance of having an elder brother or brothers in my case. But I guess the family dynamics are changing. It was bound to happen someday. My eldest is already in England working as a doctor within the NHS and my elder brother who's also in the healthcare industry, working as a dentist might move out soon.

This changes everything. If this happens, and I genuinely pray it happens, because there's no future in Pakistan. Only the other day, my eldest brother mentioned the work ethics there in the UK. Here in Pakistan, you'll rarely find work ethics anywhere. Exploitation is common, I mean if you're working overtime in any other country, you get paid for it, but here in Pakistan overtime is considered the 'duty' of an employee.

What bothers me is if all of us move abroad one by one then what about our family here in Pakistan? This is something that keeps me up at night sometimes. My younger is also a medical student and he's exceptional in what he does. He was the board topper of Karachi. For those who might not have an idea what board means here; the Inter board is the governing body that examines the entire grade 11 and 12 of Karachi. That's more than 1 million students. He secured 3rd Position in it. He was also a very active user of Steemit but due to his commitments in Medical School, he had to take a break. I'm trying to convince him to get back on this platform and maybe share his research here.

Anyway, this post wasn't supposed to be a rant haha, It's about my elder brother's birthday who turned 26 last night. He's the same brother who got married a couple of months ago

He's the kind of guy who keeps his family before anything else. Never forgets anyone's birthday, brings gifts occasionally, and takes us out for dining whenever he gets a salary or earns something. It was only fair to get him the birthday party that he deserves. For that, we decorated his room when he was at the clinic. The decorations consisted of a lot of balloons a big 26 number on his bed and a few ribbons.

It was indeed a very beautiful moment for our entire family. Oh let me tell you that my birthday is in 20 days so if any of you are thinking of gifting me something, now is the right time to decide 😂😂

Anyway, it's a tradition in our family that we go out for dinners. We make sure that we visit new restaurants every birthday and the rule is that the birthday boy has to take out everyone at his own expense. This time I suggested to my brother to visit a restaurant that I had never been to before. It's located near our area and I have heard a lot about it.

SALTANAT

Saltanat Restaurant

The restaurant, indeed, lived up to its reputation for beauty and spaciousness. Its attraction wasn't just in its physical aspects but also in the way it seamlessly integrated with its surroundings. The seating arrangements, particularly under the night sky, added an enchanting side to the dining experience. Being surrounded by the open air, amidst the ambient sounds of the Qawali night, lent a feeling of calmness in the atmosphere, making our dining experience even better.

The Qawali performance being carried out at one side of the restaurant added another layer of richness to the evening. The soulful melodies had us believe that we were dining in a cultural center of some sort. It was more than just background music; it was a cultural experience, a celebration of tradition and folk music that complemented the desi theme of the cafe where almost 80% of dishes were of Indo-Pak origin. In this blend of soft music and peaceful atmosphere, the restaurant transcended mere dining and became an experience within itself.

The food we ordered wasn't 'that' good. I mean, sure it was better than average but all the hype that I had heard, the food didn't live up to my expectations. Some of my family members liked the food, maybe I'm too critical in this matter.

We ordered:

• Chicken Paneer Reshmi Handi

• Maghaz (Brain) Masala

With these dishes, we ordered Roghni Naan, Plain Naan, and drinks. Pairing the dishes with these naans made the food even more delicious.

The highlights of these birthday dinner parties are our light joyous family talks before the order arrives. We indulge in all sorts of conversations, from our jobs to business opportunities to anything vague that we can think of 😂😂

Now comes the part that made me laugh at that moment. The restaurant owners had written short poetry on every page of their menu. Check this out:

These texts were completely unexpected for us to see at the menu. These cannot b translated but Ill try:

دل و جان سے کرینگے خدمت تیری، بس ایک بار کہدو تم ہو سلطنت

I'll worship you forever, just say that you're mine

We had a really good experience at the restaurant even though the food didn't live up to my expectations. Anyway, the bill was around 12,000 pkr which is around 150 Steem. That's it from my side, I hope you had a good read.

_{PS: all pictures are taken from Pixel 6 pro}