Last night was a very new cultural experience for me, as I got my first taste of Indian wedding planning. My roommate Satbir is getting married at the end of May, and tonight he had to meet with his fiancee's parents and about 15 people in her extended family to discuss wedding plans. Apparently, the way it works is the groom-to-be brings over some gifts (fruit and Indian sweets, in this case), announces the proposed wedding date to his future in-laws for approval, and then they all have a large negotiation about wedding day logistics. The groom is supposed to bring a few of his close friends to the meeting, so I joined him along with 2 other eMi staff guys. When we got there, we all huddled around a small table, Satbir presented his gifts, and the negotiations ensued. The discussion was in Hindi so I was pretty lost, but it was fun to just sit back and take it in. It was so weird to me that the aunts, uncles, grandparents, and siblings all had a say in the wedding plans. (Sound good, Kate?) After about an hour of discussion, everything was settled and they sealed the deal with a large dinner. In true Indian style, I ate the meal of rice and dal (sauce) with my bare hand. It was an adventure to say the least, but I enjoyed it. It feels so natural to just eat out of your hand and get the rice all up in between your fingers. Except I realized after dinner that I used my “wiping hand” (left hand) to break my bread, which is a fairly big faux pas in Indian culture. Oops.
I had the pleasure of learning to eat with my right hand only at a formal Iftar dinner in the UAE at the Sheikh of Fujairah's palace.
ReplyDeleteYou almost can't stop yourself from touching something with your left hand!
Oh well. Thank God for knives and forks.
yummm i know what you mean about it feeling natural to eat out of your hand. i've been ditching silverware for the past 4 months and i don't know how i'll be civilized in the states again.
ReplyDeleteYeah that would not go over so well with me :)
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