Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Left Right Left

Coming from an ever confused and blissfully dysfunctional south Indian family, I have to be loyal to my community by talking about our culturally intricate habit of eating food by our hands. No problem with indulging yourself with the most organic way but the problem starts when you are half way through and are trying to serve yourself again. Even after 23 years I have not got it right.

Once I am done with the vegetable and rice (a south Indian’s first serving), I try to serve myself with the dal. Now you may not find anything wrong here, but my mom says I am doing a blasphemy by trying to serve my self with the same hand that I was using for eating. Since it has become impure by my very own saliva, I am not supposed to touch the equivalent-to-god food (which anyways would be processed by so called impure saliva). Fair enough, so no right hand but only left. But my 5-year-old brain in my 23 year old body asked for serious explanation when I was told that I had done one more blasphemy by giving money to my istreewalah with my left hand. Why? No reason, it just shows the disrespect (huh!)

So here I am trapped with a life threatening issue. Should i be left with right or the left is right.

3 comments:

Diana Kotwal said...

Hahahahahahaha that's some dilemma. Maybe you should try using your feet, honey.

Deepti Raavi said...

Considering its size 9 i will be full pretty early.

phantasmagoria said...

err... use your feet is Diana says so..
OR
try asking your mommy to serve you after you're done with your first helping!!(maybe that'll help) and oh ya.. for teh istreewala, wait lemme think and tell you later..