Cream Bell

Working inside Vaishali Food Court 7 is a different kind of experience than a street shop. Everything is enclosed, and you never really know what time of day it is because the mall lights are always the same. Cream Bell is our little station in the middle of all the noise. We spend a lot of time just keeping the freezers running right because if the temperature drops even a little, the ice cream gets soft. On weekends, the food court gets so packed you can barely see the floor. Families come in after their movies and the kids are always pointing at the pictures on the menu. We wear our uniforms and try to keep the counters wiped down, but it gets sticky pretty fast. It’s a small space, so we have to be careful not to bump into each other. The hum of the refrigeration units is the main sound we hear all day. We don't have much interaction with the world outside the mall while we are on shift. Sometimes the delivery truck comes late and we have to rush to get everything into the back storage before it starts to melt. It’s a lot of standing on your feet and dealing with people who can't decide which flavor they want. We just keep the scoops moving and try to stay cool in the middle of the crowd. It is a busy life but it keeps us going.