Food! Glorious Food

मुझे खाना पसंद है

I like food.

This was one of the first things I learned to say in hindi, but my vocabulary has now grown, and I can further this conversation with भी मुझे आम पसंद है (I also like mango), and बहुत स्वादिष्ट, यह क्या है? (this is delicious, what is it?)

To me, food is so much more than food, and it becomes more of an experience, especially when trying something for the first time. I’ve tasted new fruits, new vegetables, countless spices, different teas, plants, leaves, herbs, desserts, and even more things I had never even heard of. The food is all so different, and depending on from which region of India it originates, it is also varied. When eating all these delicious new things, you get to further experience the culture and the people of that culture. We learn to eat with our hands, to eat sitting on the floor, we learn how to arrange our plates, what to eat first and how to do so. We experience different tastes; sour bitter, extremely sweet and really really spicy.

Eating here has become somewhat of an adventure. With each new bite comes a bit of excitement. Anxious to discover whether this dish is sweet or spicy. Whether you like it, or if it’s really not your favorite. And then, there comes the time when you have no idea what things are, so you take the menu and point to the desserts page, asking the man for one of each
There are those exciting moments when you get to eat meat, something you haven't tasted for weeks, and other times when you are sweating so badly and sniffling your nose as you wipe your tears. Whoops, didn't see that chile you subtly think to yourself. 
In every meal, it's pretty standard to have a large amount of vegetables. In even the simplest of dinners, you will probably be having at least three or four different types. It's also standard to have some sort of roti (bread, grain) in your meal. Whether it's naan, chapati, parata, this is how you eat all your subjee (vegetables). It's also pretty normal to eat some kind of dal (lentil soup) and rice with your meal.  
The food here is delicious. To say the least. 
Below is a picture of the desserts we got through way of random pointing.