Khana खाना

Food is a huge part of traveling and experiencing new cultures. As an anthropologist, it's no small wonder that up until now I haven't commented at all about the food. Questions like -How is it? -What's it like? -Is it spicy? -Do you like it? -Are you having any meat? -Are you shitting your brains out? keep surfacing. Well there's a lot to be said here, and today you're getting your answers. Strangely, they can be translated into many other aspects of my experiences here in Northwest India. The first is the only universal: Nothing is ever simple. NEVER. If you don't understand what I mean by this, you will soon enough.

One of the first things I noticed when we were picked up from the airport in Jaipur (after the shock of seeing the roaming cows and pigs through the streets everywhere) were the fruit and vegetable carts. Many Indian families we've come in contact start their meals with what they call salad. This is to say they cut up carrots, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and serve them on a dish with lemon or lime. For contrast to those of my friends here in India, at home in the U.S.A. we also start our meals off with salad often enough -but for us the salad is made up mostly of lettuce, then we add the carrots, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons. We also dress the salad with a chutney-like sauce based either of oil & vinegar, or a creamy yogurt-like dressing. Also, The carrots here come in many varieties. Unlike the U.S., where our carrots are typically orange, the usual carrot here is bright red. There are also black and white carrots. I have not yet seen an orange carrot here, but I'm told they exist. So that's just the first course.

In the state of Rajasthan, as well as Gujarat (both in the Northwest of India) meat-eaters exist, but are not very common. As such, the staple of our diet here consits of a bread, usually chapati (an unlevened wheatflour soft bread) and subjee, hindi for vegetables. We eat with our hands here -only the right hand for sanatary reasons. Red pepper, fennel, cardamom, turmeric, and other masalas, or spices, are added to nearly every dish. The food is spicy, but about on par with hot buffalo wings, nothing over the top. Rice with raisons, cashews, butter, and some spices called biriani is served last, then come a variety of sweets.

We are served tea prepared with a variety of spices (chai) at various times of day. Chai is a huge part of Indian culture and is consumed throughout the day for social purposes and bonding. Sweets and desserts are not lacking here. From gulab jamun to jalaybee, the Indians know how to make a good dessert. Packaged candies, on the other hand, are something of a mystery to me over here. There's a mango candy, for example, made primarily of dried mango (Aplam Chaplam -on the left), which looks and tastes like kitty litter. It's just flat out horrible. And yet you can't stop yourself from trying it. "Mouth freshners" are used here in place of mints or gum, and can be seen everywhere. The can range from a bunch of fennel seeds, to a horrible mix of God knows what.

We all brought small packaged candies to hand out to children while we're over here. My choice -even though I was advised not to by Brendan (yes, I know I should listen to you more) was mint lifesavers. So I'm not surprised that I was wrong to bring lifesavers. But I am surprised at why I was wrong though. Let me explain why: Every meal has spices. It's not overbearing for me, but it's something to note. -Breakfast too. So the answer to why the people don't like the mint lifesavers is that they're too spicy. I don't understand. Nothing is ever simple here.

We Didn't Start the Fire

This post has taken me a few days to compose if for no other reason than we have been so overwhelmingly busy, then because internet access is slightly (much) more difficult to come by than I had hoped it might be. I started this post on what was here the fifth of January. It’s also difficult to get used to not talking to the people I know and love every day and all day in the age of cell phones and wi-fi communication. In other words –even though it’s only been a little over a week, I miss my family and friends a lot right now. In any case, please know that I’m doing my best to keep in touch as often as possible. I’ve even visited an STD (I don’t know what it stands for, but it’s basically a place where you pay to make non-local calls) to try to get in touch with my people, but the phone service wasn’t working at the moment.

The past few days have been a whirlwind. No, more like a typhoon. It’s completely fair and accurate to say that I’ve done more in the past week than I have in the past year. And those of you that know me know that I’m a pretty active person. The adventure starts off at a large conference hall in downtown Jaipur for a large Rotary International Annual District Conference. I know it doesn’t sound that interesting, but throw over a thousand people in there and have me give a presentation in front of them then things start to get interesting. For better or for worse, I decided it might be nice to mix some Hindi into my introduction just to get their attention. To me this meant: “I enjoy your culture and am trying my best to communicate with you.” To them it meant: “I am completely fluent in Hindi and want to practice it with EVERY one of you.” It’s alright, though, because it helped me make a lot of friends that I might not have met otherwise. Oh, and just a heads up –mentioning that you worked in sexual assault and HIV prevention for some reason tends to be a conversation killer over here. On the other hand –it’s part of why I was sent over here so I’m doing the best I can to spread the good word anyway.

After the presentation my GSE team members and I had the opportunity to visit the former palace of the Maharaja where a Rotarian friend of our team leader has a jewelry shop. After showing us around the palace, we attended a polo game where the younger brother of the current maharaja was sitting only a few rows ahead of us. It was a really cool experience –and one of the few times in my life I can honestly say that I enjoyed watching a sport. Polo is an intense game. And better yet, during what seemed to be the half-time there was an Indian bag-pipe squad. It was one of the many moments on this trip during which I was reminded of how ridiculously privileged I am.

The next day we visited palaces. Lots of them. The tours went at such a fast pace (we saw three HUGE palaces in one day) that I couldn’t tell you much about who lived in which, when, or why and how they stopped living there. What I can tell you is that the royalty of Rajasthan knew how to live it up. I’ve seen palaces and castles throughout Europe and the mansions and estates of the U.S., but they don’t even come close to the flamboyant opulence of the Rajasthanis. Oh, and a side note: Elephants everywhere!

Now the downside. But first let me preface this with a quick side note. There are those that might read this who might not be happy with me sharing images of a poor, or dirty India. What I am sharing with you is a reflection of what I encounter here. It is not meant to offend or caste judgment on anyone, but instead to open channels of communication cross-cultural exchange. So you know that when I share the good point s about my experiences, you know that I’m not sugar-coating anything, and that I’m telling you the truth. For example –Indian hosts treat their guests like gods.

It was expected that we would encounter poverty while over here. In fact, I was counting on it. I work in public health outreach and am always interested to learn more ab out different approaches to social problems. Here, though, there are some very clear gaps which need addressing. Beggers, for example. There are beggers here just as in any country –including the U.S.. Here, however, children are often used (enslaved is probably a better term here) to solicit money from passers go by. The money rarely goes toward feeding these children, but instead to a ring-leader. A picture says a thousand words, so here it is. And to be frank, this is not an uncommon sight. What’s worse, this goes on in plain view. The police, the city at large, everybody sees this happening right in front of them. I don’t have the answer to this problem, but ignoring boils down to cooperating. I know of only one organization that directly fights this issue. It’s called ECPAT (Ending Child Prostitution And Trafficking), please at least look them up. And Dan –if you’re reading this, could you please send me Guy’s contact information?

Oh, and in case any of you were wondering if I got sick yet, we’ve all taken turns worshipping the porcelain gods by now. All of us except Andy, our team leader. I’m starting to wonder if he’s just full of shit (in which case it might do him good) or if his intestines are just made of steel. But the rest of us –we’re going to have t-shirts made that read, “I crapped myself at the Taj Mahal.” Oh, speaking of which… WE FINALLY SAY THE TAJ MAHAL! It’s not called a wonder of the world for no reason. Agra, the city in which the Taj resides, on the other hand, is nothing short of the most poverty stricken slum I’ve ever seen in my life. The smog is so bad that you only barely see an outline of the Taj Mahal behind us in the photo. Still being there was an honor in itself.

I’m losing track of time here really quickly. To be honest –even when told what the date is I don’t know how long I’ve been here because I lost or gained a day in transit. We’re always in transit for this trip, though. It was five hour trip to and from Agra from Jaipur. Our next stop is a city called Udaipur, then we’ll go somewhere called Mt. Abu to rest for a day before returning to the insanity (both good and bad) of Group Study Exchange. I’m just crossing my fingers that there’s internet access there so I can finally be in touch with people, write emails, post this blog, and maybe if I’m über-lucky, make an internet call or two.

School of Hard Knocks

(My first host family)

New Years Eve was nothing like what we’re used to in the states. After a busy day at the bazaar, my teammates and I heard some music and one or two fireworks outside. We assumed it must have been New Years celebrations, so we went outside to join in on the fun, but it turns out that –no, it had nothing to do with New Years at all. We ended up crashing a wedding reception! But we were more than welcomed, and even had our photos taken with the bride and groom. The brother of the groom took us all around and introduced us to his family as if we ourselves were invited all along. It was a wonderful experience. I think Steve even got part of it on youtube. If you’re friends with him on facebook I’m sure he’s got a link to it.
On New Years day we left the International school where we have been staying since our arrival to stay with our host families. It was sad to leave Mrs. Seth (pronounced "Seet") as she has been beyond hospitable to us. My host family is small -made up of Praveen Verma, who works in awnings, his wife (a banker), and his son Harshil. Also living with them is their servant, Gopal. Most people I meet seem to be surprised of my age. Either they learned of my work and expected me to be older –or they saw a photo of me and expected me to be younger. While it causes no problems at all, it sometimes leaves me a little lacking in the conversation department. Either way they’re very friendly and accomidating. They had a building party at which we played a game similar to bingo called Hausi. I have no idea what the rules were nor how to play –but somehow I won (Haha Brendan! I actually won a game!)… then again it’s altogether possible that they were just being nice and hospitable. Either way I won Rs. 50. J
When I arrived at their house Harshil was kind enough to drive me around his neighborhood as well as show me to a huge temple where there were actual cobras outside. After that we went to a local hooka bar where he and his friends hang out. It was great fun, but to be honest the most exciting part for me were the drives around town where I saw the oxen, camels, horses, and mules sharing the same roads with the all the bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, motorickshaws, trucks, and every other mode of transport you could imagine. It really is a different world over here.
To be fair, though, I want to clear up a point I made before. While it is true that there is more extreme poverty here than we are accustomed to, there is also very obvious progress going on everywhere you look. The very organization that sent me here –The Rotary International, for example, focuses not only on the elimination of polio, but also sponsors girls from rural villages to attend schools, pays for their books, housing, and other needs. This doesn’t sound like much, but it means the difference between poverty, illiteracy, and subservience and a future of self-empowerment and promise. There are also people building everywhere you look. Skyscrapers are going up, sewers are being dug, trees are being planted. There is no ignoring it –India is modernizing.
But there are also many differences which many westerners (including myself) are simply not used to. Having servants and drivers, for example, takes much getting used to. Gopal, the servant of the family I am currently staying with, does most of the domestic work around the house. He’s treated well, though –as a member of the family. And it should also be pointed out that without the custom of employing servants, many many more people would be homeless and without a means to provide for themselves.
Today -2 Jan., I had my first day of vocational exchange organized by the Rotary. After a wonderful breakfast by Gopal and a quick Hindi reading lesson from the newspaper, I was off to start what would be one of the most memorable days of my life. A professor from the University of Rajasthan was kind enough to escort me around the city starting with the Rajasthani Network of Positive People (RNP+) –an advocacy organization that provides counseling and links HIV positive people with services that will improve their lives. I was able to meet with their founder and president, then visit one of their 25 centers located throughout the state of Rajasthan.
Next on the agenda I was brought to the SMS Hospital –the largest hospital in the state, in which the ART (anti retro-viral treatment) is administered. Narendra, of RNP+ (also a student of anthropology), was kind enough to donate his day to escorting me around the clinics, introducing me to the many counselors, advocates, physicians, and so on that work in HIV education/prevention, intervention, and service provision. We even visited the medical school where much of the testing and labwork takes place.
The next part of my day was the most touching. Much like in the U.S., HIV disproportionately affects underserved populations. One particular target population –called the “bridge population” here in India, includes both migrant workers and truck drivers. Narendra took me to visit a woman who lost her husband –a late truck driver- to the AIDS virus. She too is HIV positive. Though she has three sons, only one of them is HIV positive thanks in no small part to the preventative measures of NGO’s like RNP+ and the Rotary International. RNP+ steps in to ensure that she has a way to stay healthy and provide for herself and her family in the wake of losing her husband through vocational education and health education. With permission, I am posting the photo we took together to show how well she’s doing and to emphasize the importance of supporting non-profits.