Yesterday I played with my food. At least that’s what it felt like I was doing as I dipped my fingers into the pile of rice and started mixing in a variety of sauces, making sure all the rice was well-coated. This was fun! Then I tried to scoop up some of the rice and sauce with my fingers and stick it into my mouth without spilling it all over myself. This was more challenging.
I was in Cochin in the southern Indian state of Kerala for work meetings, and my colleagues had taken me out for a traditional Keralan lunch. We each had a green banana leaf laid flat in front of us, and waiters came by to deposit a huge mound of rice on each leaf. They then ladled out spoonfuls of different sauces—actually, more like stews—from the pots they were carrying. Each sauce/stew was a different color and was composed of vegetables and a variety of spices. We all rolled up our sleeves and got to work. I can’t provide any more detail about the food (I’m still trying to get the hang of food names here), but everything was delicious, even eaten off of my fingers. And, thankfully, it was not too spicy. I ate until I could eat no more. I find food one of the best ways to experience a new culture, and to date in India I’ve been diving right in.
Acumen Fund Fellows 