(Food)
Food is very important in Indian culture; people are always asking whether you have eaten, what you have eaten and whether you would like to eat again. And so it would make sense that the food in India is wonderful. To try and explain what the different dishes taste like would not do them justice, you must simply experience them. Each bite is an explosion of flavours in your mouth, and each region in India has its own type of food. Most restaurants are vegetarian, but I hardly miss meat. I have also only eaten a samosa once since I have been here, which goes to show the variety of food that exists. In fact, I went to a restaurant for breakfast once and ordered one of those bad boys, and the waiter told me that they do not serve them anymore! Anyway, some of my favourite dishes include Paneer Butter Masala, Prawn/Scallop Curry, and my Aunt's Vindalhoo.
There was a time where a meal almost brought me to tears. As a Canadian, I am fortunate, as each dish costs as much as a value menu item at McDonald's.
Buns (pronounced bans) and Chai
Puri Bhaji (21 of them)
Butter Dosa (easy way to get a heart attack)
Forget the name, its some sort of idli
Bisibelabath
Paneer Kaju Masala
Paneer Kaju Masala with Naan
On a side note, I recently visited my teenage cousins in Mumbai and they told me that their favourite food is American food... maybe foreign food always tastes better? Maybe they are still too young to realize? Maybe the world is coming to an end? One of the world's greatest mysteries...
Juice, milkshakes and lassi
These drinks are absolutely awesome. They are made fresh in front of you from real fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, apples, guavas, strawberries, and bananas. Also, the fruits here seem to taste better, the mangoes and bananas are definitely sweeter.
Sweet, sweet, mangoes
Juice being freshly prepared
Pineapple juice
Chai
Chai is so important to Indian people that I thought about giving my dear friend his own blog post... Nevertheless, Chai is EXTREMELY important to Indian culture. Chai is a way of life, Chai is its own culture. Chai means tea, but it is different from North American tea, or tea anywhere else for that matter. It is a milk-based drink served steaming hot in a glass about the size of a shot glass. It is very sweet, and is delicious. However, it does take some time to get used to the taste. Every Indian drinks chai at least once a day.
Non-Veg
Choriz - My favourite food, you cook it with onions and potatoes, peel the skin and eat it with Pao (bread) or Rice
Kebabs, chicken, beef being prepared on the grill seasoned with spices and masalas
My favourite picture (make sure you enlarge it)
Food is usually served in stainless steel dishes... you can buy some at easyday (a partner of Wal-Mart)
Post-Meal digestive aid/mouth freshener