Beautiful Aspects of Indian Culture

 

Positively Inspired to Appreciate Indian Culture

 

For some spectacular and inexplicable reason last night I woke up mid-sleep for a sip of water and had a Eureka moment - I had the idea to dedicate a blog post on the beautiful aspects of Indian culture. Living in Dubai, there is a sizable Indian population, mostly all of my close girlfriends at work are Indian and we eat together every day. I also interact with many Indians outside of the office such as in my building and through social events/Meetups. All in all, these pleasant interactions, and mostly my lovely, caring and fun-loving girlfriends, motivated my desire to focus on the positive aspects of the pulsating and full-bodied Indian culture.

•  The cuisine is spectacularly, amazingly, remarkably, delectably, deliciously diverse!

Tons of flavors, spices, dishes, curries, masalas, veg and non-veg approaches. So much flavor. Furthermore, there is great depth to the philosophy behind food choices. Individuals and families choose to eat a particular way as influenced by their particular religion - Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism [Wiki Reference, Religion in India]. There are particular days of the month and year on which some foods are consumed and others are not.

Flavor and tastiness is the essence and at the heart of culinary fulfillment, at least from all that I have learned, observed and shared with/from my Indian friends. There is eagerness to share food, eat in community and to acknowledge the success of a well-prepared, tasty item: a curry, dal, paratha, biryani, chutney, chaat (savory snacks) and more.

Chicken Biryani from Hyderabad - looks amazing - wow! :)

Indian Dal Nirvana (Dal Makhani)

My Faves: Chicken Tikka Masala (mild), Palak Paneer - the spinach (beloved veggie) and cheese combo are delectable, plus with the spice you can feel the joyful party sensation in your mouth; mouthwatering cauliflower (another beloved veggie of mine) prepared with varied spices and flavor, yummo! Check this out:

Indian cauliflower, potatoes & peas. Wowzer! Save me a plate :-)

I also enjoy most dals and I really like parathas. *However*, my Indian girlfriends know me quite well already and know that, I don't eat these items because of the carb content...Alas. I've tasted the goodies yet don't normally indulge.

Nice-looking dish. Parathas, or Parotta, from Kerala. So much diversity and they can be eaten at any meal of the day, with either butter, a curry, dal, or yogurt.

 Oh, I almost forgot - I love the taste of samosas however those babies are deep-friend pastry dough so they are off-limits for me on multiple levels haha. I still appreciate 'em, though!

From Indian cuisine we can definitely appreciate the beauty of colors, fragrances, tastes, spices, food combinations, and textures (the mouth-feel). I think if you were to devise a matrix to list all the feasible food combinations for Indian dishes given the multitude of options, well, it would be a gigantic collection of resultant entries!!

I haven't even touched on desserts. Indian sweets are epic. 

They are rich, they are the real deal. Sugar, sugar and sugar :-). There are sundry dessert options which vary depending on the region and city; each area has its own particular food types, flavors and thus desserts. There are elaborate preparation processes, including use of chickpea flour, semolina, whole wheat, rice flour and GHEEEEEEEEE. The fabulous staple that is Ghee butter. An indispensable food item for any Indian home.

I have personally cooked with Ghee and enjoyed it - somewhat fragrant and tasty. I would use it again however I normally just keep Coconut Oil for cooking since it has a healthy fatty-acid composition and antibacterial, anti fungal properties.

That brings up another game-player: COCONUT.
Coconut plays a significant role in a much of Indian cuisine, which I think is so awesome because I Love Coconut. There is great usage of Coconut Oil and Coconut milk, the latter especially for creamy curries. Coconut use is also central to Thai and Sri Lankan cuisine.

Coconut rocks, in all forms and manifestations, so when you add it to dishes, well, that automatically elevates the quality and nutrition to be savored.

Food texture is significant in Indian culture not only in terms of mouth-feel, but also in the hands-feel. 

I mention this because a typical aspect of Indian dining etiquette is eating with your hands. It does not happen all the time, utensils are also used, and method depends on the region. Individuals can choose depending on location of meal consumption (perhaps at work in a multinational setting there is more knife-fork usage) and the circumstances. Meals eaten at home will tend to be with the hands. My friends tell me that eating with your hands makes food tastier :-). Just a note that this is not necessarily 100% applicable to ALL people...it just depends on personal preference and such.

Confession - there are quite a few times when I am dining at home alone and I LOVE eating with my hands, picking the chicken apart with my hands, etc. Most of the time though I prefer eating with chopsticks if the food befits such utensils.

To summarize, things I adore about Indian cuisine: the variety of flavors, colors, fragrances, spices, dishes - I cook with tons of spices and masalas; the coconut oil and coconut milk, which I consume on a regular basis; and the overall vibrant nature of the cuisine. It's almost like you can feel an energy and passion through the vast variety. Beautiful aspects indeed!

Now that I've thoroughly and lovingly fixated on Indian food, I will highlight other charming aspects :-).

• There are rich, complex and deeply rooted historic traditions that continue to be important pillars even in this 21st century.

• India is the birthplace of Buddhism -  a pivotal, life-altering philosophy that has undeniably shaped the development of human consciousness through the centuries. Buddhism has introduced and allowed us to contemplate notions of reincarnation, cycles of life, karma and dharma, and conscious awareness. I suppose for me, these are beliefs that resonate with my soul, which is why I deeply appreciate that they were formally introduced to the world in a structured, didactic, theological manner.

• India is the birthplace of YOGA. Need I say more? :)

• India is the birthplace of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Medicine, or alternative healing.  This one really speaks for itself!

• Many spices with curative health-promoting properties come from India including: Turmeric/Curcumin, Saffron, Cumin and Oregano, to name a few. By the way, I swear by Oil of Oregano in terms of staving off an impending cold/flu, it has anti-parasitic properties for intestinal and gut health, and is antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. I keep an ointment bottle of pure Oil of Oregano for daily use.

• There is great love and celebration of music and dance as we see through Bollywood. In fact, I think it's the only culture in the world that has full movies performed with song and dance throughout. 

• The people are generally friendly, amiable, and enjoy a good laugh and joking around.

• The traditional clothing, saris, are beautifully ornate, colorful, graceful and elegant.

• Education is highly valued, prized and encouraged. Indian children are taught from an early age to study well and to challenge themselves academically. Intelligence and academic pursuits are seen as valuable and respectable.

• Family centric and very devoted, especially the women. I've observed that mothers and wives are very devoted and do not think twice about completely prioritizing their family's needs. It is really sweet to see this type of dynamic, when there is no doubt and a complete knowing that their family comes first. This contrasts with the more individualistic societies of the West. Not that I am particularly preferring one side over the other (I am a typical embodiment of that Western self-focused, individualistic mindset), however, I feel and appreciate the beauty of that sincere, heartfelt devotion and sacrifice. Ultimately, the woman's devotion and hard work is the glue keeping families together and functioning; it upholds the longevity of the family unit. I really admire my lady friends who are living examples of this key trait.

 

Holding up the fort. Strong lady, she is.

Closing Words...

I feel so grateful I've met my friends and that they share so much of their world with me. I've learned to tolerate spicier food :-) and I appreciate much more the diversity and multiple layers that make up the Indian cultural identity.

National identity is changing around the world for many cultures and new generations are introducing their own unique set of values, views and behaviors into the mix. The cultural milieu of where we are raised and the degree of Westernization and Globalization also impacts how much of the traditions the new generations embrace and carry forward. Some elements of traditional cultural identity are being left behind in exchange for modern ideas and norms; and some aspects of tradition will remain fixed in their character for the rest of their lives. Both inclinations are OK and in fact they are inevitable and unavoidable. The more exposed we are to the ability to CHOOSE, the more we all realize we can powerfully shape the direction of our lives and our character. This is the thinking of those 'young people' (myself included).

I know I've only scratched the surface in terms of my awareness of Indian culture. I'm really pleased with this start! We all start somewhere and there is only greater room for expansion over time. I look forward to enjoying even more beautiful aspects of the abundant, lush, dynamic, soulful, historic and sparkling Indian culture.

Gorgeous artwork - Indian artistry at its best: Henna.