The rice is plentiful!!! There you were, thinking all this weight was going to be lost during your World Race. Meanwhile, in India, mountains of rice and several servings each meal await.
The people here are SO hospitable that you feel rude at some points. Unable to communicate due to the language barrier you will follow their movements of ushering you to take your shoes off and enter a house you have never been to before. They will sit you down on woven mats and a woman will come set a plate infront of each of you. Then she will hand you each a cup. She will fill them one by one with water and retreat to the kitchen to fetch a huge pot of rice, a pot of vegetables and a pot of dahl (lental soup).
She will take time to pour water over everyone’s hands to get them clean. Then she will serve all of you by spooning out a heap from each pot. After you pray and begin to dig in with your fingers (yes, your fingers) she will stand by and wait for anything on your plate to dwindle.
Even though you will be full after one serving, she will insist on feeding you more and you will watch as spoonfuls from all 3 pots hit your plate again.
A few days in you will learn that the word chaloo means enough. After your first heaping helping you will begin to say “chaloo, chaloo”. You will feel proud that you learned such a helpful word. Good job! Thinking you have outsmarted the problem, you will then watch as most of them insist you eat more anyways and plop more rice down to overfill your belly. A fail, good try though!
The days will go by and you will find that India LOVES chili powder and peppers. Some families use more than others and your meals will begin sitting not-so-well with your tummy. Eventually you will break a sweat while eating and your stomach will already be upset from the previous day. Remembering the struggles you had the night before with a tore up stomach and only a squatty potty to do your business in, you will resort to a stern “CHALOO” with your hands shielding your plate so they cannot spoon more out.
This will be effective! You will feel achieved every time! Oh, except that one time when a 10 year old girl told you she would not eat dinner herself until you had a second and third helping. You will laugh at her because she is joking. Her face will stay straight as she says it again. You realize maybe she isn’t joking. Then you will proceed to sit there… shoveling in handful after handful of spicy potatoes and rice just in case. You are sure she means well, so it is okay.
You are basically a pro at this point. You can stick to one helping by saying “chaloo” and shielding your plate. You have also learned that if you want just a little bit more you can say “quanchim, quanchim”.
Lastly, after you have become a pro, do not pull a Cristin Ratkowski and forget to only use your right hand. India is a land without toilet paper and left hands are used with water to clean yourself during a visit to the good ol’ squatty. If you are caught left handed you will be tisked at, called out, and told on to every Indian in the room. Everyone will stare as she fetches a bowl of water to wash your left hand in as you are laughed at. Ah man, that’s okay! Do the Cristin thing and laugh along in embarrassment. It will be funny for everyone and you will never forget to only use your right hand ever again. Go you! Remember, chaloo and shield!
