When thinking about food in my native country India, so many thoughts and memories cross my mind. A major chunk of our budget is invested on food which makes it the one of the largest sources for our GDP. The rich cultural diversity of India plays the vital role in the huge variety of food we can boast of. “Mumy bhook lagi hai” (Mom, I’m hungry) - Maggi’s advertisement which made a remarkable impact on the advertising world. I also can recall the Sunflower oil advertisement which showcased an Indian mom cooking Indian delicacies.

When we think about Indian food as Indians “ghar ka khana” (home-food) is the best for us. The reason being not only the quality spices used but also that it is hand cooked by our beloved mom and simply is the best!

The adjectives which come to my mind for Indian cuisine are yummy, delicious, delectable and scrumptious. There is Paneer Kadhai, Chicken Biryani, Pulao and Butter Chicken, Gajar ka Halwa, Imarti, or Gulab Jamun, puri and sabzi, dosas, uttapams and so many more. The list is endless and everybody will find so many options to choose from. The popularity of Indian dishes is growing with each passing day. It is because of the flavour and aroma of the spices used primarily.

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On a recent day when going to work to our office in South Delhi’s Shahpur Jat neighbourhood, I noticed, amidst sweets and street food vendors and recent fashion shops that have been mushrooming in the area, this cute little shop called “Dubdengreen”. Inside, unsurprisingly for this densely populated neighbourhood, the space is small enough, the decorations are minimal and the absence of shining and blinking advertisement on the shelves catches the eye. This looks more like a farm house shop, so you wouldn’t be surprised to find mooing cows and chattering chicken in the backyard. A quick look around is enough to confirm the impression: grains and millets are there, fresh vegetables next to fresh fruit and dairy products. This is indeed another shop for farm goods – so how is it different? Well, this one is all about organic.

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Whether you come for business, education, or leisure, India's capital city Delhi offers you countless opportunities to spend your time. To help you make the most of this mega-city, we have gathered together over 100 interesting, fun, and often unconventional ideas into one handy guide. See how many you manage to tick off before you leave - that is, if you intend to leave behind the city's excitement at all…


ACTIVITIES:

1. Learn Hindustani, the lingua franca of the Indian Subcontinent (that covers the continuum of the standard registers Hindi and Urdu). For Delhi this is a real Must - and will make you enjoy the city all the more!

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Lili Jiang, 23, is a Chinese student from Sichuan Province, China. In July she went to travel in India and she has decided to share her experience with us.

KM: So, first of all, Lili, how come you decided to go to India? Isn’t it still a quite unusual destination for Chinese tourists?

Lili: Well to be honest, I think you are right, there aren’t many Chinese tourists in India (yet!), and on the plane I had a hard time explaining to the Chinese hostesses and passengers why I was travelling to India as a tourist. Most of the Chinese people on my flight were going to India for business purposes and they didn’t understand why I was going there just for fun! The hostesses were actually worried for me, telling me things like: “Why are you going to India? Are you mad? If you need help you can stay with us, here’s our Indian phone number!” Despite their concerns though, my experience in India was great! The main reason why I decided to go was that I’ve always felt an attraction for India! We’re neighbours, yet so different!! My friend (who was flying from Hong Kong, while I was flying from Beijing) and I were scared we would miss each other in the airport. Luckily enough, I guess I looked too different from my Indian sisters and brothers and my friend recognized me right after I got out of customs!

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Fasting is an integral part of Indian tradition. Fasting means holding oneself back voluntarily from eating something certain or even any kind of food for a definite period of time. In Hindi language it is called “vrat”. A fast can be partial or prolonged, e.g. for a duration of 24 hours. There are also some fasts in India which are observed for a week or more, examples being Navratri fasts, or Muslim fasts during Ramadan and Jain fasts. In Hinduism each day of the week is related to planetary constellations and devoted to a certain deity. These fasts are generally observed according to one’s individual needs. The day fasts can be understood in the following manner according to the different days of the week:

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If you are on a special such-and-such-free diet like me, you know the kind of questions going through your mind before leaving for your next foreign destination. What will I be able to eat? How will I find the dishes that I can eat? How will I explain to people in a polite way that I can’t eat their national dish due to some never-heard-of-before condition? Of course, one answer is to stock up on all kinds of dried foods, muesli bars, packed cookies and nutritional drinks that will, under extreme circumstances, help you survive for a minimum of two weeks. But this is not what my vision of traveling and cultural discovery looks like. I’m not an astronaut. Nor I am travelling to lands that are as plain and arid as the moon. Taking precautions is good. But retreat is not the answer. So every new land is like a barely mapped territory to me, and I’m like the explorer.

Continue reading "A Food Map of India for Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets"