Confessions about India

Unlike most of you must have expected, my first blog post will not cover the major highlights of India. Rather, to make it a bit more original and enjoyable I wanted to give some insights into (or confessions about; staying true to the name of my blog) the country, the culture and the people. These so- called confessions are based on real life experience and will give you some insight into life in India. In this blog post, I have 4 confessions for you, so let me just get started!

Confession no 1: Indian food is the best and Indian takeaway in Europe is SH*T!

One of the best things here, especially for a foodie like me, is Indian food. Back home, you might occasionally order Indian takeaway on a Saturday night. And of course, like you would with any other takeaway, you’ll enjoy it. The fact that it is food that you don’t eat everyday makes it special and taste extra nice. Before coming to India I thought I knew what Indian food was, having regularly had Tandoori Chicken or a nice Chicken Korma. I was wrong, very wrong. Everything I thought I knew turned out to be a lie. Only when you actually come to India you will understand what Indian food is. The variety, the spices which are carefully chosen and added to the food to make the flavour. It puts Indian restaurants in Europe to shame. In Europe, or at least in Holland, Chicken Tandoori is a dish with small pieces of chicken, served in a  butter chicken- like gravy, on a little bed of yellow rice which will get drenched in the gravy. When you have had the chance to eat a real Tandoori chicken, you will understand the difference. This is just one example of the many mistakes we make with regards to Indian food in Europe.

Another realisation I had the other day, when getting Indian food back home, even the so- called spicy dishes aren’t spicy. If you are like me, a bit of a dare devil and like a bit of spice, or so you think, try ‘spicy’ food in India, it will feel like your tongue is slowly shrinking and your chest is on fire. Conclusion: No ‘spicy’ food for me here. And no, not all food here is spicy, such a misconception. You can get anything as spicy as you want – so a lot of options left.

One thing I have discovered since coming here is MOMOS, they are a must, they are heaven. Whether you have veg momos, chicken momos, steamed or fried, they are worldly. I know a lot of people might be scared. As foreigners rule number one to having safe and happy travels is not to get food on the streets, but don’t be too scared to eat the so -called ‘street food’, it honestly is the best food you will get. You might get the occasional upset stomach, cause hey, our stomachs apparently aren’t built to handle the spices and bacteria that well all the time, but it is definitely worth it. Another MUST, especially for people who are crazy about Italian food as well, is butter chicken pasta. It is the best mix of Italian and Indian food, the soft penne pasta in a creamy Indian sauce. Also, don’t forget about biryani. Yummy.

One more tip: if you want to get pizza and you like cheese, go dominos, instead of having a cheese crust like you have in Europe, the cheese crust here means the whole pizza base is filled with cheese. It is heavenly!!

Confession no 2: being a foreigner in India is not bad at all!

When thinking about India, based on what they’ve seen or heard, I think many foreigners have this conception that it is not that easy being a foreigner in India.

And yes when travelling/ walking around in India, as a foreigner, you might feel a bit like an ‘alien’. You’ll be the PK, the Jaadu, the ET. You don’t understand the local language, and obviously you look different. In my case, I am an alien with long blonde hair, green eyes, freckles, white skin (occasionally as red as a lobster because my skin can’t handle the sun that well).

What doesn’t help either is the lost look us foreigners have. Trying to figure out what the signs say, even though you won’t be able to, no matter how hard you try. Trying to figure out rupees, what the value of the different notes is, and how much the equivalent in euros/dollars would be and being confused why they have 10 rupee notes and 10 rupee coins (is there a difference?) Wanting to take an auto rickshaw but having no clue how to and how much it normally costs.

For many people, all of this makes us foreigners very interesting, there aren’t that many as you’d expect either. Result:  a lot of staring . You might experience this as negative or maybe annoying at first. But I think it is important to realise here that this staring in 9/10 times is not meant in a bad way, but rather it is mainly out of interest as most people just don’t come across foreigners that much.

And honestly, from my experience at least, being a foreigner in India is great. Rather than being neglected or mistreated, like some people might expect, foreigners are treated like VIPs here. Everywhere you go you’ll find you get ‘extra’ service. Whether this is a nice hello, free entry to places, they all want you to feel welcomed. (I guess we could learn something from that in the ‘Western world’)

Confession no 3: thinking you know what a mosquito attack is is naive!

(I know this one is not India specific but still worth mentioning) One thing I realised pretty quickly, if you think there are a lot of mosquitos in Europe in summer-  you’re stupid. Try going to India. I learned this after one day only. Wandering round to explore the neighbourhood, your new home. All fun and games until you wake up the next morning with about 10 mosquito bites all over your body. It only took all the neighbourhood mosquitos a few days to realise there was a new person there, I was their new target, their new food. New blood, it must have been very interesting. Result: 32 mosquito bites in one week, even though I had barely been outside the house! Tip: always have a mosquito repellent with you (and actually use it- do not forget). And I guess you won’t be new blood forever, so those mosquitos will also leave after a while.

Confession no 4: Indian people are very nice and welcoming!

I am sure that many people who have travelled to India can confirm that people in India are very welcoming and nice in general. From the minute I landed in Delhi for the first time, I have felt that people are very nice. Great example; the first Indian person I spoke to was the immigration’s officer. Rather than being very serious and strict we actually ended up having a really nice conversation about India and what I was going to do in my trip, after which he stamped my passport and said ‘Welcome to India’. It was so heartwarming and I felt so welcomed already, only 15 mins after arriving in Delhi. Ever since then, no matter where I go or who I meet, people have been asking me whether I am okay, if they can help me out with anything and they are always offering sweets, water, food. It honestly makes such a difference and really makes you feel comfortable so fast in a place you’ve never been before.

Well, these are my confessions for now. More on my experiences in India to come soon, stay tuned!