The Art of Eating in India.

Hands down, India wins the best food award. We couldn’t enough.
Unlike everywhere else we’ve been, we didn’t crave diversity once.
Every day was an opportunity to point to something new on the menu.

Some of our favorites
: Naan… butter, garlic, cheese. We’ll devour it.
: Mixed veg masala
: Dum Aloo (potato dish)
: Pualo Rice with veggies
: Basmati Rice
: Dal (lentils) any which way

Yum! To avoid the infamous, “Delhi Belly” as much as possible, we stuck to a vegetarian diet and with all the lentils and flavors, we didn’t miss meat at all. Per the advice of travelers and locals alike, we avoided all street food and are so thankful that we never had to put our supply of Cipro to good use – especially in a country that’s completely void of toilet paper.

We were surprised at how not spicy the Indian food was. We found ourselves asking for everything “spicy” to get a little punch (which is much different than Thailand where spicy = fire). All of the Indian food was super filling and totally sinful, so we tried to keep ourselves in check as much as possible (although, we both definitely gained some kilos). For lunch we’d share what we called a “one pot meal” (1 dish + naan + rice) and for dinner we’d share a “two pot meal” + rice & naan. Here are some of our favorite Indian staples and snacks.

I kept joking that we were turning into “Naanimals” because we’re going crazy for the buttery bread.

{the ideal drinking snack. and as close as ting would get to his loved chips & salsa}

{what our table typically looked like. yuuuuuummmmm.}

Few observances about eating in India.

: Right hand only. The left hand is reserved for less savory things such as touching your shoes and using the restroom, so you won’t see the left hand at the table – ever. And if you were ever to touch food with it, huge faux paux.

: Who needs utensils? Typically, Indian food is eaten with just your hands. Using the naan bread, food is methodically scooped up and shoved into the mouth. But don’t drip – again, faux paux. Danny was even getting lessons on using his pinky as a knife. (We stuck to spoons & forks).

: Cocktail Snacks. While drinking beer, a few snacks are king – Poppers and “mixed salad” which is raw vegetables. It’s typical to munch on raw onions sprinkled with fresh limes while drinking your beer. Surprisingly pretty tasty combo.

: Sharing Drinks. Don’t let that glass touch your lips. Indians have mastered the art of the tilt and pour.

who’s ready to go out for indian food when we’re back home?