Livin’ Large with a Hand Towel
The Indian people seem to be meticulously clean. But they obviously go about personal cleanliness in a different way than we do. Case in point: Just today we had our first hand towels placed in our bathrooms. Up to now, (at least since we left Chennai), no hand towels, no washcloths, only large bath towels. Are hand towels a peculiarity of Americans?
Another cultural practice that has taken some getting used to: eating with your fingers. And we’re not talking chicken drummies, either. Rice, chutneys, vegetables, curries, dal, everything scooped up with fingers or pieces of yummy chapati or dosas (Indian flatbreads). Some of us have held fast to the use of spoons - or if we can find them - forks. Others of the group have happily eaten Indian style, and quite proficiently, too.
We had a restaurant lunch where we ate, not off of plates, but off of banana tree leaves. Spoonfuls of food are put on the leaf, you eat with your fingers (or utensils), and at the end of the meal, you have a choice. You can fold up your banana leaf, which means that you liked the food and will come to the restaurant again, or your can leave your leaf open if you were displeased. Either way, the banana leave is simply discarded when you leave. Also, one must eat with his/her right hand. Eating with the left hand is considered rude.
Nodding your head is different in India than in America. A side-to-side head nod (rather than an up and down nod) means “yes”. A sort of “bobble head” motion of the head seems to mean “I’m listening”. It is easy to misunderstand what is communicated until you understand that what you are seeing is the different than what you are accustomed to.
All of this adds to the interesting experience we are having here. And there are many things that are the same. A smile is universally understood. Handshakes and smiles go a long way toward making us all feel comfortable and welcomed. Indian people seem to be unfailingly polite, at least to this group of Americans. We have been blessed to be here.
Another cultural practice that has taken some getting used to: eating with your fingers. And we’re not talking chicken drummies, either. Rice, chutneys, vegetables, curries, dal, everything scooped up with fingers or pieces of yummy chapati or dosas (Indian flatbreads). Some of us have held fast to the use of spoons - or if we can find them - forks. Others of the group have happily eaten Indian style, and quite proficiently, too.
We had a restaurant lunch where we ate, not off of plates, but off of banana tree leaves. Spoonfuls of food are put on the leaf, you eat with your fingers (or utensils), and at the end of the meal, you have a choice. You can fold up your banana leaf, which means that you liked the food and will come to the restaurant again, or your can leave your leaf open if you were displeased. Either way, the banana leave is simply discarded when you leave. Also, one must eat with his/her right hand. Eating with the left hand is considered rude.
Nodding your head is different in India than in America. A side-to-side head nod (rather than an up and down nod) means “yes”. A sort of “bobble head” motion of the head seems to mean “I’m listening”. It is easy to misunderstand what is communicated until you understand that what you are seeing is the different than what you are accustomed to.
All of this adds to the interesting experience we are having here. And there are many things that are the same. A smile is universally understood. Handshakes and smiles go a long way toward making us all feel comfortable and welcomed. Indian people seem to be unfailingly polite, at least to this group of Americans. We have been blessed to be here.
Comments
Post a Comment