I'm afraid this is going to take on a little less of a "travelogue-y" feel, as now the work week has kicked in, and I'm going to be spending most of my time in the office. Still, hell, I'm in India. What *isn't* a good story when you tell it from India??
I'm pleased to report that I did get to have lunch in the company cafeteria today. No less than eight people popped in on me during the course of the morning to ask if I was *sure* that I wanted to eat with them; I almost started to think they just didn't want me around. Man, I sure hope that wasn't the case, now that I look back. At the time, though, they all were expressing concern that I wouldn't be able to handle the food. Just to save you the worry until the end of the story, I managed just fine, ate everything, liked all of it, and haven't had any kind of ill reaction whatsoever.
Here's what happens at lunch: There are several tables in the middle of the room. Piled on one end are small metal trays, and baskets of spoons. Then there are big pots, each filled with a different kind of something. I'm really going to have to start looking up what it is that I'm eating; as it is, I can say that there was rice, there was something with what looked like black-eyed peas in a sauce, there was some vegetables in a different sauce, there was just a sauce, there was flatbread, and there were slices of cucumber. I piled a bit of each into each little divot in my tray, sat down with everyone, and ate it all, mostly by scooping up stuff with bits of the flatbread and my fingers. At the far ends of the room, there were great big mirrors, which suddenly made it very apparent that I was by far the tallest person around.
After the meal, we all put our trays into big baskets, and then everybody filed into a washroom with rows of sinks, where we rinsed off the bits of lunch left on our hands. It felt very civilized. At the door, there were little baskets filled with different kinds of seeds that you're supposed to take a handful of and eat as a breath freshener. I suppose, since it tasted remarkably like licorice, that one of them must have been aniseed, but I don't know quite what that looks like so I don't know for sure.
The whole process repeated itself a few hours later, when it was time for afternoon snack.
We need to institute a policy of afternoon snack. Seriously, now.
I got back to the hotel around 8 pm, caught up on my email, all that jazz, and went down for dinner. There's a Thai/Chinese place here, "Spice Island," that I went to tonight. There was a little band playing, so while I ate, I listened to the lovely strains of "Englishman in New York" and "Sweet Home Alabama." And then they played "Musta Been Love (But It's Over Now)" and I have to admit that I kind of hate myself a little bit for knowing all the words.
Spice Island also has the distinction of employing a rather cute waiter, who just so happened to have my table. Now, I honestly promise that I didn't *intend* to flirt with him. Really. It just kind of HAPPENED. I mean, I really *did* like his bracelet, and only meant to point at it and say, "I like your bracelet," instead of saying "I like your bracelet" while I touched his wrist. And when he asked me if the food was too spicy, I really didn't *intend* any double entendre when I said "It's no good unless it makes you sweat," but then I said it and made myself blush.
I don't know if HE meant any double entendre when he suggested the toffee bananas for dessert. But I like to think he did.
At the moment, I'm looking through the Shopping Guide I just found in my room, and planning out where I can go after work tomorrow. Hopefully I can manage to squeeze out of there while there's still daylight, so I can do a bit of walking around near the new digs.