During a friend's birthday at Hitchki in BKC, Tania J's eyes fell on a set of black metal spoons. She thought they were unusual and declared that she planned to take them home. A spoon and fork were soon in her handbag when no one was looking.

Tania likes to call herself a "collector of curious restaur-ant objects". "Stealing is considered immoral. But, I don't believe there is a morality debate here, because I only steal what's not expensive or can be easily replaced by the restaurant." The 32-year-old writer, who moved to Mumbai last year, picked up a few tricks while pursuing a PhD degree in the Czech Republic. "It's commonplace to pick up things there," she says. "The town where I lived had students working double shifts to fund their education, food and house bills. They didn't have the money to spend on necessities. Sometimes, they'd go to a pub for a drink, and return with a month's stock of toilet paper." While Tania didn't need toilet paper, she was keen on collecting souvenirs that would remind her of her travels across Europe. "I am a huge beer fan, and some of the breweries there kept printed coasters. If I liked the beer, I'd take the coasters back with me."