Eating in India

Before this trip I'd been to an Indian restaurant only once, and most would call me a picky eater. Well, after a few days here I now eat just about anything that is placed in front of me.

I don't even ask what it is that I am eating anymore. I just smile and shovel it in. Most meals have rice, naan (Indian bread), some form of curry sauce with either chicken or tofu, and vegetables. This is pretty much the same for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every meal. Every day. We brought some snacks with us from America, but they were long gone in the first couple days. As soon as I get home I am going to order a big, fat, juicy bacon cheeseburger. With a large chocolate milkshake. Oh man, that sounds good.

The water is not safe to drink, so we have been gulping bottled water constantly. Emily had to throw her toothbrush away when she forgot and ran it under the tap. Besides the water, most fruits are not safe (unless you can peel them), and we were told not to eat anything sold by street vendors. So are options are limited.

The process of eating is also different, and I've tried my best to fit in. Indians don't use utensils, and eat all food with their right hands. In a land without toilet paper, your left hand is used for "other purposes" if you catch my drift. So you really don't want to use your left hand to eat with. If you forget and use your left hand in a restaurant (as I did once) you get a few stares. It really grosses the Indians out.

The real test of skill is learning to eat rice with one hand. After much practice I just about have it down. You make your hand into a "C" shape and then gather the rice in clumps. You then use your thumb like a shovel to scoop the rice up on your fingers and then take the back of your thumb and push the rice into your mouth. I'm told you know you are good when your hands are clean below the knuckle. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting close.

I'm looking forward to teaching my four-year old son how to eat with his fingers when I get home. Not sure that will be very popular with his mother.

--MB