Lord I'll Put It Down If You Keep It Down!

All right, a little humor in the midst of our lives is a good thing. If we didn't laugh at some of the stuff here, we would go crazy pretty quick. All cultures are different, and we just happen to be on the other side of the world from our own. That being said, there are many times we are challenged in our patience and taste buds by being offered something to eat or drink by the people of the house we are visiting. We have tried to coach the kids to eat what is put in front of them without making faces or saying stuff like "EEEEEWWW, that's NAAAASTY!" (Easier said than done with a 5 year old independent thinker!) We have eaten a lot of things that are delicious while here, all the while trying to practice what we preach. But there are a few things that have made the list of stuff I would not want to experience again. Some of this stuff looks appetizing, until it hits your tongue! Hence forth the prayer (in the title) before we taste something new in front of a host.

SPICED BUTTERMILK-

Made with curd, salt and pepper, and served in a glass with an ice cube. (More ice, less drink, please!) This drink looks much like a yogurt drink served here called Lassi, which is very sweet/sour and cool to drink on a hot day. We were served this at a house where my wife has her outfits stitched, and imagine our surprise when the taste of it hit our tongues. We choked it down, with a smile, all except for our 5 year old who made faces like he was going to gag and die- much to the amusement of the ladies of the house. I was also offered it by one of the local restaurant owners who I sit and talk with from time to time. I politely said no thank you, and was given the lassi drink instead.

DAHI VADA-

Served during some of the national festival celebrations here. Looks like a nice sweet cake in cream, right? Pretty much, spiced buttermilk with some soggy bread in a dish. Again, tastebuds expecting sweet, and we get EEEWWW! Our hosts realized that there was something wrong as we ate. Maybe we reverted back to being 5 years old with our own facial expression! We tried to finish, but just could not. There was too much, and no where to hide it. Our hosts were amused, and thankfully not offended. They told us they would protect us if served it again anywhere else, as it was too taxing on us!

THUMS UP COLA-

Yes, the spelling is right, just look at the bottle in the picture! Big Coca Cola product here, but nowhere near the taste of Coke or Pepsi, which we can get here also. I tasted this on one of my earlier trips here, and likened it to drinking Coke out of a dirty shoe, or filtered through a dirty smelly sock. Some have also called it Curry Coke. I try to avoid drinking it as much as possible, but when offered by a host... Our driver "N" doesn't like it either. He was visiting another house with my family and I, and were brought out glasses that looked like coke. As soon as I pulled the glass to my mouth, I knew it was Thums Up, and watched "N's" reaction when he tasted it, to which he looked over at me, smiled and then poured the drink into his friends glass. I followed his lead and poured mine into my wifes glass. Don't worry, she doesn't mind the taste. My new name for this drink is, you guessed it, Thums Down.

I know we'll have many many other opportunities to sample some more of the local tastes while here. So, in the mean time, we'll just have to learn by doing and keep uttering the prayer, "Lord I'll put it down if you keep it down!"