India 2005

I've never considered myself to be in the category of "neurotic" thinkers butlooking at my feet everyday has given me pause. India is hard on the feet.90% of people wear sandals usually with less than one eighth inch rubber (orpressed wood? composite) support. Arch support, what's that? Taking intoaccount all the things found on the ground (both stinky and yet-to-bestinky), general abundance of dirt, and abnormal walkways [sidewalks areusually a joke, except on bridges] things (bad things) happen to your feet.Some of these things i've mentioned in other emails (lady's shoe being knockoff as motorcycle passed scooter, walking through the slurry of floodedstreets of Kolkata [Calcutta] {{the smell when my shoes dried, gahg}}, etc

A story i did not write about: Steve (from Austin) rented a Royal Enfield350 motorcycle and took a 200km (125miles) trip where his brakes didn't work!THE symbol of early Indian automobiles, the ubiquitous Ambassador, blewthrough an intersection, whereupon Steve stopped the motorcycle with is foot.He showed us his foot mere days after the event; the big toe had seen betterdays. It was at this moment that my neuroses went straight from my id to myego... do not go past GO do not collect $200 dollars. It was not just thedried bloody-grossness you would expect, but that compounded with dirty whichreally did me in. You just can't keep anything clean here, especiallyyourself. yuck.

Other stories I have not written about: 1) The first night we slept in ourapartment we were attacked by mosquitoes. Exposed parts of mybody: right arm, elbow-on and feet. They ate me up! Big bites too, theyknew i was asleep and took advantage of that. 2) Weeks later, after wesolved the insect problem, bed bugs attacked JUST MY FEET.It's like they some how KNEW my weakness. It's a conspiracy! 3) Walkingdowntown to buy the sandalwood cow for Cary, i missed judged a sidewalkpothole and a rock jumped up and cut the backside of my ankle. 4) When wewhere in Chennai we attended a rehearsal for a dance performance [long storyas to how we got there] but walking down the main aisle there is a suddendrop. Angled about 60degrees downward. Not a step, not an incline, but ahybrid of the two. This was noticeable when the lights were on, but when ihad to go to the toilet mid-rehearsal i tripped and fell to the floor givingmyself a wicked-bad rug burn on the top of my foot, a pretty ouchy stubbedtoe, and a little diminished pride. As time and situations pass, feet fitshave work their way into my ego and now wrassl with my superego

The thought of how my feet would suffer here started that first month oftravel, but i didn't not worry. My feet were still peachy-white.I could hold my head up high as i walked down streets of gnarly toed people.They could jip me, jeer me, or even gesticulate at me, ...but my feet arebetter than yours buddy, so Ha! Alas, that too is coming to an end

I usually have a little rough skin (calcified skin) on the interior of bothbig toes and no other foot blemishes to speak of. I, actually, am ratherfond of my little callouses. But they have mutated and taken on a life oftheir own. To say they have grown since being here is an understatement. Itnow looks like I have 6 toes on each foot.

Augh. And, this weird black stuff is collecting on my heels around thejunction of my shoe bed and no shoe bed. In the shower it swells with waterand is easily scraped off with a fingernail, but all of it never comes off.I've tried for 10minutes one time. Every scrape replicates two smallerpieces of equal volume, maybe this is how it reproduces... so i stopped. Ofcourse i have tan lines from the sandal bands; i put this in the positivecategory, it looks cool.However, my toenails are out of control. I clean them, sometimes twice aday, but there is always some gunk in the corners. Simple daily activity,like watching TV, generates toenail gunk. Explain that... i bet you can't...i know i can't.

I don't think i ever fully understood the ramifications of the Biblical storywhere Jesus washes the feet of his apostles; until right now. Feeding themasses, curing leprosy, and raising the dead are all great miracles, but feetwashing is right there with them, in my opinion.

Take care of your feet, and each other;

emails from india Summer 2005

Food is a big comfort here. It is unlike anything i have ever had in theStates. The only thing that comes close is eating at friend's houses who'vespent some time here or native Indians in the US.

The AIIS institute has a cook who makesbreakfast and lunch for us, and we are on our own for dinner. There is aplace in our neighborhood called Charles that gets a visit (or 3) per week.Food at AIIS is safe and food at Charles is... less-safe. I think theypoisoned me the first week i ate there (maybe a little hazing for the newkid), but once you start taking the antibiotics you feel invincible while onthem, so i ate through my digestive problems. After that first week, my bodydidn't seem to mind the poison. BestDish: Muttai Barota (Egg, Onion, Pancake chopped up with black and whitepepper) severed with Dosa (super thin bread like stuff)

Our cook at AIIS started off with traditional Indian foods: Sambar, Idli,Dosa, Curd (plain yogurt), rice, chapati, eggplant, spinach, potatoes, fruit etc. Every meal is vegetarian. She initially layed-off the spice. After2-3 weeks, when we were acclimated to the new biosphere, she started gettinga heavy handed with the spice. Which is good when you feel good and bad when you feel bad. Usually there is something that is non-spiced which the sickly cling to.

A food mission, if you choose to accept it, is to eat as we eat. With yourhands. Everyone should either cook 3 Indian dishes (or foods) or order outand have it delivered. Rice would be the best for rookies, however chapati is SO yummy it's hard to turn down. Home is the most comfortable location for this "experiment".

Rules:
1. Silverware may be used to dish out food from its container onto your plate BUT it would be a serious faux pas to use silverware to put said food into your mouth... come on people, be a little civilized.

2. Only, and i mean ONLY, use your right hand to eat with. The other hand is used for "personal hygiene" and would be inappropriate to eat with. You wouldn't use your deodorant to eat soup or pick up a piece of corn with a toliet brush, so don'tuse your left hand to eat. ***if you want to turn this into a game, an appropriate penalty for getting caught using your left hand would be a 2 minute penalty in the bathroom.***

3. The trick is to really work the liquidy part (ie Daal, Sambar,etc) in with the solid part (rice) until it becomes rather paste-like.^Refer to second grade notes on plaster of Paris preparations^ From herethere are several techniques to get the semi-solid from your plate (or bananaleaf depending on location) into your mouth. Some cup their fingers andscoop up the yummy, tilt their head back and shovel it in. I call this the"shovel", Cary is quite good at it. Another way to get it in is totriangulate the yummy glob between your index and middle fingers with yourthumb. Lift to mouth. Then use your ring finger to poke the food into yourmouth. It's all one fluid motion. If problems arise, switch poking finger.I call this "Indian Style" (I need a cooler than that). You can also hybridize these techniques.

4. Seconds. A slight problem will arise, as you all will find out, when your hand is thoroughly food encrusted and you want to go back in for more.Then, the common question becomes "which hand is cleaner now?". I was on the fence about this one until one night at dinner with my guesthouse family, i reached for fruit (mangoes baby, Yeaha!), with my left hand. My guesthouse sister made all my future decisions quick and decisive. She snapped "NOT WITH THAT HAND!!!" rather emphatically. Everyone stared at me with that "you know better" look&head nod, then went on eating *Sigh*. People at AIIS commonally disagree about this 'rule' but I've thought long and hard about it, and the righthand rule is in effect.

We all wash our hands, when soap is provided, before meals. More often thatnot, especially in places like Charles, a sink will be in the back to rinseyour hand before and after the meal. Soap is not commonly found. So, if youwant the true Indian experience go outside before dinner, dig around thegarden a bit, then rinse your hand with water. This should provide theunmeasurable amount of dirt that is constantly on your hands, feet, body,etc.

If, after you accept this mission, the email replies do not make me roll onthe floor laughing then I've misjudged you all. {except you Asiaticphilefreaks, of course}