Just when you think you have this whole cultural thing in India slotted into neat compartments in your head…Sikhs are the ones with Turbans; Vishnu's the one with a bunch of arms and the attractive blue hue; Coconut chutney isn't the one that makes me sweat and convulse at the table; etc, India decides to inform you that it is far too diverse to be pigeon holed by some blinkered tourist like you (especially smug ones with a Theology/World Religions degree). Hinduism's claim of having 330 million gods, although figurative only, does conspire to bewilder those trying to understand it.Today, we visited MG's, a fancy hotel restaurant, for some light relief from cheap dal cafes. After being served by men in Turbans, but apparently not Sikh, and eating our breads with our 'unclean' left hands, we tried to eat the banana leaves that the food arrived in (used for cooking only) and spat out the 'Pan leaves' digestif meant for eating. The alloys in the traditional Thali dish were allegedly good for your memory?? but we forgot anything we may have learned over the past month. We thought we were getting to grips with things, but now we've changed state to Gujurat from Rajasthan, the dishes are largely different, people dress differently, the local customs and gods worshipped have changed, and we have to start over again.
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