Self-sufficiency

I have this daily bipolar-ish cycle where my brain seems to turn on just when I need to go to sleep. So when I'm trying to fall asleep, sometimes my brain starts thinking things like, I really want some dosas and samosas from Udupi Palace. Pretty tasty for oily dough, potatoes, and spice.

And pondering the consequences of societal trends such as late marriage and childbirth and having a single child. The media has talked about China's generation of only children, with problems such as each married couple has the responsibility of caring for four grandparents all by themselves. Things start getting more interesting after two generations. With the first generation, one doesn't have siblings. With the second generation, one also doesn't have cousins or aunts and uncles.

Nowadays it's not uncommon for women to not have children until around 40 and men even later. There are things to worry about such as parents' age by the time the children are out of college. After two generations of such, one would have to wait till 80 years to see any grandchildren.

Put these two trends together, and you really lose a lot of family both horizontally and vertically. It's basically just mom, dad, and child. The concept of "large family gathering" and "relatives" sort of disappears.