The main reason I came on this trip was for chai tea in India. Just kidding, but I was definitely anticipating it since before I left. It is way better than the powder stuff back home. They boil the milk and steep all the spices and tea, strain everything out, and pour it into a cup. At our host, we are served chai in little stainless-steel goblets. On the street, I’ve gotten it in paper cups and glass goblets. They always serve it about 30ml at a time, which actually is the perfect amount. Every day, we anticipate when one of the cooks will come out with the tea pot and announce “Tea!”. Then there are the poor souls who don’t like chai, but if you sit next to them, they’ll give you their portion after taking a cup (it’s usually a gesture of respect to take some and sip it even if you don’t like it). Often, when traveling, we stop for chai in one of the towns. For 7 or 10 rupees, you can enjoy yet another goblet of chai that day. That’s about 15 cents, by the way. They also have biscuits (cookies) at the chai stands that are perfect for dipping in the tea.
One of the cool things is that everywhere you go, the chai tastes slightly different even though it is the same thing. Each village and even each person has developed their own way of making it. I can decide which one I like best, but most of the time, I like them all equally because they are different. Some have different emphases on flavor, but it’s nice to have that variation. The same is true for the foods. Chapatti, a tortilla-like unleavened bread is served along with chicken curry and rice. The chapatti has never been the same thickness or texture, and the curry always has different flavors and amounts of spices.
