Spaghetti Lacks a Fan Here

Today the women I am living with made me spaghetti and boiled vegetables for lunch. They are worried I am eating too many spices and that I might want food like I eat at home. I am having a hard time convincing them that I am absolutely loving the food here and that I do just fine with all the yummy spices.

So spaghetti it was!

Two of the girls, Taniya and Danish (pronounced with a soft “a” not pronounced like the pastry), were over for the day. It is Saturday and while most of the girls still have school these two had a holiday and so they spent some of it just sitting and talking with us. Taniya is 13 and Danish is 11. Danish looked at her plate very skeptically as Sumitra served her up some spaghetti.

I tried to watch subtly as she took her first bite. Her face twisted and her lips puckered and then she looked up to meet my gaze. At this point I was barely holding myself together. She unwillingly swallowed and then began to laugh which gave me the cue that I could also. Everyone else around the table quickly tuned in to what was going on and joined in on the joke. She ate the rest of the spaghetti that was on her plate but I assure you that it was a pure chore for her to do so. She kept saying, “No spice, no spice” and then would take, what were to her, very bland mouthfuls. At the end of the meal she said, “I know you have good food in America, but THAT was not it!”

They had put a separate portion of vegetables for me, which had no spice on them. While we were cleaning up lunch Annamma held a bite of non-spice vegetables out for Danish as she is every mother’s dream child and has nothing but love for veggies. So she very happily opened her mouth for the bite of boiled vegetables. Boy did she get a shock!

“Salt!” she yelped and ran to the cupboard. Annamma and I were on the ground in tears we were laughing so hard. Finally Annamma grabbed the salt and sprinkled it straight into Danish’s mouth. Ah, relief.

Danish swallowed and then looked at me in shock. “You eat that?!”