Here is the story of one man, a man known as Sanjay Patel. He hails from Canada, French Canada that is. The land of hockey, Putsin, and 6.9% beer. For those of you not familiar with Putsin, it is a Quebecian delicacy; French fries smothered in gravy and special cheese. Sanjay was weaned on this strange concoction and it perhaps explains why America and Canada will never see eye to eye. The fact is, Americans will never put gravy on their French fries, or as they call them in Texas, ‘freedom fries’. But, there are too many strange things about Canada that us Americans will never understand, and there simply is not enough room here to begin to explain, so we will move on and concentrate on Sanjay- aiy. Sanjay has been a UMB student since the fall of 2001. You may have caught a glimpse of this proud Beacon strolling along the campus; he’s the tall kid sporting the Canadian maple leaf on every item of clothing he owns. Up until this semester he has been a permanent fixture at the Wits End café, making it his home away from home. Last year he took the reigns of the cafe as student manager and began a new era in it’s long and storied history. Some say he was the most competent manager of the Wits that the UMB campus has ever seen, but others are not as confident in his capabilities. Using his managerial skills that he may or may not have acquired as a management major, Sanjay guided the café through many troubled waters to safe ports. Managing the wits end was a humbling experience for the poetic French Canadian Sanjay, who once said “it was not I who ran the café, it was the café that ran me.” Although working there for upwards of 2 years, he claims to have only drunk a total of 2 cups of coffee the whole time. He does like tea however, and consumed a fair amount.
When not studying, eating, cooking ramen noodles, eating, or checking out the latest standings in fantasy football or baseball, Sanjay spends his time playing rugby for the Old Gold Rugby Club of Boston. Two practices a week and games on Saturdays takes up a good chunk of his time, but for him it is well worth it. He has been described as a rising star and as the future of the club. For Sanjay, rugby is a way of life, much like gravy, and Old Gold is his team. But what makes this man tick? A quick question and answer session should clear things up.
MM: What is your favorite TV show?SP: McGuyver at 9am and 3 pm on Spike. It’s a classic. He can use duct tape, a piece of lint from his belly button and a band-aid to get out of a plethora of situations. You gotta respect that.
MM: What is your favorite food?SP: Everything, all foods but there’s nothing like eating a steak bomb sub with my fellow OG RFC team mate Mark Grande while watching Mcguyver.
MM: How should one play rugby?SP: One should play hard, with heart and is if it could be your last game (which it could be) and just have fun.
MM: How do you feel about the Expos?SP: It’s very sad but it had to happen. Hopefully they will have better success in their new home and better owners with deeper pockets. I hope the fans appreciate the team more than they were in the last 5-10 years.