Humour by Rehana Munir: Looking for adventure

Where does one find it in our increasingly sanitised, socially-sanctioned lives? And do you convince yourself to step out of your comfort zone?

It’s been a terribly weird two-plus years with few opportunities for anything resembling an adventure—unless you count the three times you lowered your mask in a darkened auditorium to gasp at the ageless Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. Between-the-waves interludes notwithstanding, we’re constantly craving release from the chains of Covid, inflation, authoritarianism, climate collapse and the guilt we feel over the relationships we no longer have the inclination or energy to renew after the trial separation of lockdowns. Adventure remains a dependable form of escape. But where does one find it in our increasingly sanitised lives?

After the last two years of the pandemic, the need to fly and to find something new and exciting is greater than ever (Hexcode)

The case of the old library card

First up, adventure must be distinguished from drama, its maudlin second cousin with boundary issues. Raging secret affairs between unlikely characters is an exhausting prospect for everyone involved; who needs more public masks than we’re already required to wear? Adventure should recharge, not deflate. As always, readers are the luckiest lot—literature is the cheapest form of transport. Plus, it’s energy efficient.

As I write this, Graham Greene’s Our Man In Havana is throwing sidelong glances at me. I’ve left the last twenty pages of the Cold War-era espionage satire unread, adding suspense to what has been an already thrilling ride, and not just for literary reasons. It’s a second-hand book that was pulled out of a school library in a Scottish market town, with the library card stuck to the first page. The last person to have checked out the book was a fourth former—in 1974. A curious friend, with whom I shared the picture of the card, did some Google-snooping to find that the child grew up to become a fireman in the same town, a post he retired from after thirty years to much fanfare. An armchair adventure worthy of Greene’s amused pen.

Looking for America

There are, of course, more obvious adventures that one can enjoy while stationary, and some of them arrive on Harley Davidsons. Long Way Up on Apple TV is the third instalment of a three-part travel documentary that features Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman traversing impossibly long distances and frequently difficult terrain on their motorbikes. In this edition, they star off from Ushuaia in Argentina and motor their way through South and Central America to end up in Los Angeles, USA. The 13,000-mile epic journey, which took them through thirteen countries in hundred days, ended in September 2019, before the pandemic could disrupt it all.

The most challenging part of the adventure is that they’re riding electric bikes, prototypes that hadn’t at that point been up for purchase. And so, the journey is a will they/won’t they nail-biter, with all hopes pegged on a functioning electric charging point in the most far-flung places imaginable. Crucially, Obi-Wan Kenobi, in a white tee and golden beard, is the least pedantic travel host; his sense of wonder and frustration are relatable even for a person who is unable to steer an airport trolley without causing an accident.

Fried rice and butter chicken

More than even the page or the screen, I like it when adventure arrives on a plate. Those of us who do not boast of any skills in the cooking department still have a lot to offer the culinary world. I pride myself on novel food combinations, whether it’s fried rice and butter chicken with yogurt on the side, or last night’s leftover pizza slice topped with a fried egg, sunny side up. Omelette pairs beautifully with zeera aloo (you’d eat hash browns with your scrambled eggs, right, snobs?) and shami kebabs are instantly uplifted by processed cheese.

Unfortunately, my taste in music and fashion tends towards the tried and tested. My Spotify history and wardrobe reveal me to be a middle-aged idler, a frightening fact to confront. I’m always envious of friends with innovative playlists, but the digital covers of their albums frequently scare me off with their “you’re not cool enough for us” superciliousness. Similarly, I envy those who pull off stylish jumpsuits and smoky eyes with the confidence of someone who has never had to look up the term ‘smart casuals’ online. I live in hope. Adventure begins at home, and the cupboard is as good a place as any.

Follow @rehana_munir on Twitter and Instagram

From HT Brunch, June 25, 2022

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