Have you ever eaten a lone green bean?

So this update comes from India where I’ve been bouncing around between Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore.  Next to Thai food, I probably have to put Indian near the top of the list.  The type of food is very different between the south (where it tends to be VERY spicy) and the north (where it is less spicy, but more oily).  All of it is incredible – especially to someone who loves curry – me.

Anyway, with my fish curry meal on Tuesday night, there was a single green bean sitting on top of my rice.  You know what I mean?  I think they call them haricot beans back home.  It’s about an inch long and cut at both ends.  I have to admit that I thought it was a little strange that they serve one lone green bean with the meal, but when in India … As soon as I put it into my mouth and crunched down, my Indian colleague remarked on how brave I was.  I think his exact words were, "Wow.  I don’t think I’ve eaten one of them since I was 12 years old."

It wasn’t a green bean.  And I can still feel it burning a hole through my intestine two days later.  🙂

Eating here is a bit of an adventure!  You don’t realize how inept you are at eating until you try to eat all the food with only your right hand and your left hand in your lap.  Pity the poor person who is left handed.  It is considered very bad taste to touch food with the left hand (or to accept business cards or anything else for that matter).  Regardless, the flavors are fantastic and I highly recommend the … things that I’ve eaten this week.  Just watch out for the lone green bean.