Mangos are the national fruit of India. (I had to look up the national fruit of the U.S. and apparently we don't have one. :P ) When we went to the store the other day I got a mango, and mango flavored wafer cookies. Today I got a mango ice-cream bar. I also have a carton of mango juice in the fridge. Needless to say, I really like mangos. I'm going to eat as much mango here as I can.
On another note, we have been getting served tea and snacks in our classes. Tonight in our Contemporary India class we were served tea (which is really good!) and a different type of food every time we happened to change each major theme of our powerpoint. We were first given banana chips which are thin slices of yellow bananas fried with a bit of salt. Next we were given a peanut carmel bar which reminded me of the carmel used in cracker jacks and caramelized popcorn-- except the carmel was on peanuts instead of popcorn. Our professor then gave us a fruit call "qua" with a very strong sweet odor and told us to bring it back home to eat. He also interestingly instructed us to not drink water directly after we ate it but about 15 minutes afterwards. He said the juice of the fruit would line our throats for that 15 minutes and then we could drink water. He generalized this to all fruits as well. I found this quite interesting.
Apparently, some Indians believe that one should drink water only before and after a meal. I heard our bodies likened to a food processor where you put the liquid in first and then you put the solids in. This can be difficult to do though especially when the food is spicy. On another note, the food here althought it is spicy is managable. Sometimes I can manage how much gravy I put on my rice and therefore how spicy it is. Also we eat SO MUCH RICE! I had no idea that South Indians in Tamil Nadu were so keen on eating rice. Every lunch we eat rice in the mess at school with a variety of gravys to pour on. We are also given papad which I like to crush and mix with my rice. Also let me mention that we have to eat rice with our hands (actually more correctly only with my right hand)! As a result I've been trying to master the art without getting it all over myself. It's been getting better as I've continued to do it each day, but it has definitely taken some getting used to. I have so much more appreciation for silverware. :)
On another note, we have been getting served tea and snacks in our classes. Tonight in our Contemporary India class we were served tea (which is really good!) and a different type of food every time we happened to change each major theme of our powerpoint. We were first given banana chips which are thin slices of yellow bananas fried with a bit of salt. Next we were given a peanut carmel bar which reminded me of the carmel used in cracker jacks and caramelized popcorn-- except the carmel was on peanuts instead of popcorn. Our professor then gave us a fruit call "qua" with a very strong sweet odor and told us to bring it back home to eat. He also interestingly instructed us to not drink water directly after we ate it but about 15 minutes afterwards. He said the juice of the fruit would line our throats for that 15 minutes and then we could drink water. He generalized this to all fruits as well. I found this quite interesting.
Apparently, some Indians believe that one should drink water only before and after a meal. I heard our bodies likened to a food processor where you put the liquid in first and then you put the solids in. This can be difficult to do though especially when the food is spicy. On another note, the food here althought it is spicy is managable. Sometimes I can manage how much gravy I put on my rice and therefore how spicy it is. Also we eat SO MUCH RICE! I had no idea that South Indians in Tamil Nadu were so keen on eating rice. Every lunch we eat rice in the mess at school with a variety of gravys to pour on. We are also given papad which I like to crush and mix with my rice. Also let me mention that we have to eat rice with our hands (actually more correctly only with my right hand)! As a result I've been trying to master the art without getting it all over myself. It's been getting better as I've continued to do it each day, but it has definitely taken some getting used to. I have so much more appreciation for silverware. :)
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