Let's Talk Some Curry

I'm afraid I'm going to cover all aspects of Indian life in a week of blogging and have little to say for the rest of the year, but here I go anyway.  It's officially been one week (and one day and 31 minutes) since my plane left MSP and I started my Indian adventure, so I should probably say something about the food here.


The food here is of course very different from your everyday American meal.  One primary difference is the lack of meat.  The vast majority (87%) of India is Hindu and Hinduism limits the amount of meat (or non-veg as they call it) you may eat.  How strict the diet is depends also on what region you live in.  Some regions, such as Gujarat, follow the vegetarian lifestyle much more closely than mine.  My host father explained Pune's diet like this: 30% of people never eat non-veg (and live a vegan lifestyle) , 30% eat almost no non-veg, 30% eat non-veg 1-3 times a week, and 10% eat non-veg often (about as much as we do in the US).  So far, I have had chicken nuggets twice and Chinese chicken once but I believe this irregular for my family.  Also, these rules seem to apply mostly to adults.  It is common for the younger generation to go eat non-veg by themselves or when they are out with friends, like when I met Niraj's friends at McDonald's.  



In Northfield we have two very good Indian restaurants which are well-liked.  Unfortunately, I had food from these places a total of three times (two in recent memory) and so I am not a very good judge of the authenticity of their food.  When I get back, I will be happy to go there with however many of you wish to go and confirm that they are doing everything right, but on two conditions:
1. After a year here, I'll probably want a break from Indian food so we'll wait a month or so.
2. I don't really like spending money, so you'll have to pay for my meal in exchange for my expertise.



Food differs a lot with region so I will describe the average meal in Pune.  Here, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can expect chapati (similar to a tortilla with the feel of lefse) and bhaji (some form of vegetable).   You place your index finger on the chapati and tear off a piece with your middle finger and thumb roughly half the size of your palm.  You may use only your right hand because the left hand is unclean in India and therefore you never eat or touch anyone with it.  This piece of chapati is then used to grab or scoop a little bhaji (different vegetable every day, solid or liquid).  You then fold the chapati over and place this bit of food in your mouth.  After this amazing display of dexterity, you must repeat these steps many times to finish your meal.  I am getting much better at this, but it is still difficult to do efficiently.  The alternative to chapati is white rice and a sort of creamy topping called varan which is poured over the rice and thoroughly mixed with spoon or hand.


Tea is the drink of choice in India and I have taken a liking to it despite never enjoying tea in the US.  It is prepared like American tea but everyone here adds milk to it.  I tried to figure out what kind it is but everyone just says it is "regular tea".  


Meal times are also different, but I'm not sure what the norm is because they just ask when I am hungry and that is when I eat.  Meals are a more solitary activity here, though, and I usually eat alone.

Other than food, yesterday was the actual day for Raksha Bandhan, the brother-sister festival I mentioned earlier, so here is a picture of me in the middle of the ceremony.


I met with Aishwarya today and she showed me around town before bringing me back to her home to meet her family.  It was so great to talk to her again and to see a familiar face in this still unfamiliar country.  I had so many questions for her and her help was invaluable.  It is rare for someone to have a 2-year friendship with an exchange student (at least face to face) so I consider myself very lucky to have her as a friend and guide this year.  Not only does she have a clear understanding of the workings of India, but she also has a year of experiencing my background to understand my feelings and all the differences between our cultures.  I look forward to seeing her throughout the year and I have already made plans to go see a Bollywood movie tomorrow with her and her friends.  I won't have any idea what is going on, but that's no different from daily life here for me.  


I believe I have been watching the Indian equivalent of soap operas with my grandmothers for the past few days but I cannot be sure.  My only clues are the constant surprise on every character's face, and the intense music always going on in the background.  I also watched a cooking show in Marathi in which I was surprised to recognize the background music was a strange guitar arrangement of Hotel California.  That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll have something to say tomorrow about my first encounter with Bollywood.  Namaste!