After 5 days in India, I have already observed many things that have left me perplexed, in a multitude of manners. However, for the sake of sparing your eyes and saving my fingers for another post, I will just expand upon my experiences, thus far, with the Indian Cuisine and the consumption mentality.
In India, it is a completely common practice to "try before you buy"... and it applies to literally EVERYTHING. On Monday, I ventured to a fruit stand near my University and had already consumed a banana, a mandarine and an apple prior to even purchasing my produce. The second you begin to gesture towards a piece of fruit to say "I'll have a kilo of...", they are already peeling the mandarine and handing you a slice, waiting for you to nod in approval. At first, I thought this only applied to this small fruit stand and those of its nature, however, I was quite wrong. On another occasion, I went to a shop to buy nuts and was delighted to see a display case filled with sweets and varieties of Burfi. I pointed to the Kaju Katli (the cashew flavored sweet) and asked to purchase 2 pieces, but before doing so I was given a piece in order to ensure it was to my liking. Again, I assumed that this practice of trying before buying was a strictly food related procedure. And again, I was mistaken. On my final shopping trip, I went to a proper mall here in Bhubaneswar, in order to buy a water boiler and after I paid (it was required to pay before picking up the boiler), I walked over to get the box and the salesman picked up a box and directed me to a close by wall. He knelt down, took the water heater out of the box and began to plug it in. I rushed over and told him that it really was not necessary but he insisted on showing me that the light went on when he hit the switch... and the story was the same when I went to purchase a phone charger. Alas, I learned a bit more about the Indian consumer and retailer relationship. It is quite fascinating, as India strikes me as a culture built around Karma and trust, how they are so adamant on ensuring the consumer knows their purchase is satisfactory.
Now, to the food. Northern Indian food is far more rich and gravy based than the Southern Indian cuisine (read: goodbye hopes of a weight-loss new years resolution). Odisha, the province in which Bhubaneswar resides, is considered as Eastern India and has both southern and northern dishes available, more or less. My first proper meal was breakfast on Monday morning, which we took at a small outdoor stand near campus. The man in the back of the shop was hand rolling Roti, while his co-worker manned the front, loading plates with the steaming morning meal. We choose to start with the Idli, which was bathed in a fragrant chickpea dal. Idli is a southern Indian breakfast dish, consisting of little steamed pillows made of a fermented lentil and rice batter and then topped with whatever chutney or dal one desires. Essentially, this dish is a square punch to the senses first thing in the morning, however the texture of the Idli is to die for, light as air with a melt in your mouth quality that perfectly soaks up and delivers the taste of whatever it is floating in. On campus, I have had the ability to try many dishes and I am quite fond of the drier, southern style of cooking. I have really enjoyed the vegetarian cuisine, consuming an inordinate amount of chickpeas, lentils and paneer, which is an indian style cubed cottage cheese. Most dished are all served along side rice or with chapati or roti (a whole wheat grilled flat bread) and always eaten with one's hand. In Bhubaneswar, the street food is incredibly diverse and really where I have been able to occasionally sample the most authentic flavors and spice, such as the morning Idli and Pani Puri (crisp, hollo breads filled with mashed chickpeas, coriander, tamarine and spiced water). A bite of Indian cuisine make one feel like there is a juxtaposition of spicy, sweet, crunchu and soft exploding in your mouth all at once... but it is proving to be a glorious battle for my taste buds.
In India, it is a completely common practice to "try before you buy"... and it applies to literally EVERYTHING. On Monday, I ventured to a fruit stand near my University and had already consumed a banana, a mandarine and an apple prior to even purchasing my produce. The second you begin to gesture towards a piece of fruit to say "I'll have a kilo of...", they are already peeling the mandarine and handing you a slice, waiting for you to nod in approval. At first, I thought this only applied to this small fruit stand and those of its nature, however, I was quite wrong. On another occasion, I went to a shop to buy nuts and was delighted to see a display case filled with sweets and varieties of Burfi. I pointed to the Kaju Katli (the cashew flavored sweet) and asked to purchase 2 pieces, but before doing so I was given a piece in order to ensure it was to my liking. Again, I assumed that this practice of trying before buying was a strictly food related procedure. And again, I was mistaken. On my final shopping trip, I went to a proper mall here in Bhubaneswar, in order to buy a water boiler and after I paid (it was required to pay before picking up the boiler), I walked over to get the box and the salesman picked up a box and directed me to a close by wall. He knelt down, took the water heater out of the box and began to plug it in. I rushed over and told him that it really was not necessary but he insisted on showing me that the light went on when he hit the switch... and the story was the same when I went to purchase a phone charger. Alas, I learned a bit more about the Indian consumer and retailer relationship. It is quite fascinating, as India strikes me as a culture built around Karma and trust, how they are so adamant on ensuring the consumer knows their purchase is satisfactory.
Now, to the food. Northern Indian food is far more rich and gravy based than the Southern Indian cuisine (read: goodbye hopes of a weight-loss new years resolution). Odisha, the province in which Bhubaneswar resides, is considered as Eastern India and has both southern and northern dishes available, more or less. My first proper meal was breakfast on Monday morning, which we took at a small outdoor stand near campus. The man in the back of the shop was hand rolling Roti, while his co-worker manned the front, loading plates with the steaming morning meal. We choose to start with the Idli, which was bathed in a fragrant chickpea dal. Idli is a southern Indian breakfast dish, consisting of little steamed pillows made of a fermented lentil and rice batter and then topped with whatever chutney or dal one desires. Essentially, this dish is a square punch to the senses first thing in the morning, however the texture of the Idli is to die for, light as air with a melt in your mouth quality that perfectly soaks up and delivers the taste of whatever it is floating in. On campus, I have had the ability to try many dishes and I am quite fond of the drier, southern style of cooking. I have really enjoyed the vegetarian cuisine, consuming an inordinate amount of chickpeas, lentils and paneer, which is an indian style cubed cottage cheese. Most dished are all served along side rice or with chapati or roti (a whole wheat grilled flat bread) and always eaten with one's hand. In Bhubaneswar, the street food is incredibly diverse and really where I have been able to occasionally sample the most authentic flavors and spice, such as the morning Idli and Pani Puri (crisp, hollo breads filled with mashed chickpeas, coriander, tamarine and spiced water). A bite of Indian cuisine make one feel like there is a juxtaposition of spicy, sweet, crunchu and soft exploding in your mouth all at once... but it is proving to be a glorious battle for my taste buds.