Those of you who know me well are used to my sense of humor. You know I’m very sarcastic, and find some things hilarious or clever that others would find corny or weird. I realize that, and I’m fine with it.
Example A: the titles of my first three blog posts. Genesis and Exodus are rather self-explanatory, but in order to create my own Pentateuch (go ahead and look it up, I’ll wait), I had to stretch this title a little bit. Deal with it.
But what it does give us is an opportunity for the first fun facts edition of my blog! Exciting, I know. First of all, to explain the title a little bit:
- “Levis Take Us” (Leviticus…get it?) refers to buying jeans. If you buy a pair of jeans at the Levis store, the will take them in for free. Tailoring (as long as you can entertain yourself for 20-30 minutes) is free with the purchase of the jeans
- “Dude you’re on me” (Deuteronomy, duh) – Even though homosexual rights aren’t recognized in India, it is very common to see men walking down the street holding hands or with their arms around one another. I was extremely confused when I saw this until someone explained to me that it’s a sign of friendship. I’m wondering how I’d react if that happened to me at some point while I’m here. Hopefully I’ll be able to avoid that situation…
India by the numbers
- Population of India - 1.2+ Billion people. That’s 16% of the entire globe. 3x the population of the United States.
- Population of Bangalore- 8.5 Million People. That is:
o A few hundred thousand more than New York City
o 25 times more than the City of Minneapolis
o 3 times more than the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area
o 162 Manhattan, Kansas-es
o 15260 Little River, Kansas-es
o Despite the immense population, I know of only 2 buildings over 15 stories tall.
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| Cows grazing on trash. |
Other random fun facts and observations:
- Cows
o There are about 200 million cows in India.
o India is the only country to have a Bill of Rights for Cows
o Cows are sacred in India, and are not to be harmed, and are often dressed up. We put sweaters on dogs, they put fancy hats on cows.
o I don’t look twice anymore when I see a cow on the side of the road in the middle of the city, or grazing on a pile of trash somewhere. It’s an everyday occurrence.
- Bathrooms
o The first bathroom was said to have been invented in India 4500 years ago. Their technology hasn’t advanced since then….
o Traditionally, Indians view using toilet paper as unsanitary. Beside all toilets, there are hoses that they use to clean themselves using that and their left hands. Therefore, they don’t eat with their left hands. Gross, I know.
- Food
o From my own observations, it appears that around 50% of Indians are vegetarian. However, many people that claim to be vegetarian will eat fish, and sometimes chicken.
o Really, I don’t know how to start describing the food, as I rarely have any idea what exactly I’m eating. Curry with chunks of other stuff is how I best describe it.
o Each region of India has its own specialties (33 different regional cuisines to be exact), but it is more traditionally broken down into North Indian and South Indian. Even residents of India have trouble explaining the difference between the two.
o I have yet to have a traditional Indian dessert that I have liked. They use a lot of ginger in their cakes, and it’s tough for me to stomach more than a bite or two. But if someone brings something to work, you’re seen as rude if you don’t accept it. You have to be creative with how you dispose of it. I had what I thought was a donut hole one time, but when i bit into it, it oozed some syrup like substance. I almost lost my curry.
o Luckily, I’ve found a couple of restaurants (mostly Italian restaurants) that serve a passable beef tenderloin. However, finding beef on the menu at a normal Indian restaurant would be nearly impossible.
o There is also a Hard Rock Café that I have yet to try, but hear it’s good if you’ve got a craving for a burger.
Think that’s about it for this post. But don’t fret; there will be more Fun Facts posts in the future. Have a question about anything specific? Let me know in the comments!
Namaste
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