Only Gents Not Allowed

When I was in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh earlier this year, Nikhil and I ate most of our meals at dhabas. The dhaba is a mainstay of the Indian highway and nothing like it exists in the US. It is like a fast food joint without the brand name or the walls, like a gas station without the gas or the station. The dhaba is ubiquitous on all Indian highways, and all dhabas within a region serve the same food at the same price on the same plates. You could almost swear that the little boy (read: child labor) washing dishes back in Hargaon has teleported to Sidhauli to give you another roti when you really don’t want another roti. I miss the dhaba, because oddly enough, dhaba owners signed a blood oath not to set up shop within a 10-mile radius of my apartment. At least it sure feels that way. I ask everyone I meet if they know of any dhabas in the area, and they all say, yes yes it’s here, or, yes yes it’s there, but I check and it’s neither here nor there. It’s like a desert mirage, shimmering on the horizon, not just promising water but also mud floors, dim lights and Rs 30 thalis.

The TOI finds a peculiar instance in Patna where the marginal utility of food is zero

No wonder VA and I get stares for being in the same room together. And I was really excited about going to the zoo this weekend. My favorite part is about the ugly scene in the jungle area.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Kids-on-date-cops-in-a-fix/articleshow/6294212.cms

Part 1: Boring Road

You know how when you were young (read: college), you sometimes would play the "opposite day" game? Where you would pretend that everything was opposite from normal? Well, that's how I feel here sometimes - to be honest, often. I'm not sure how much of this is Patna, or Bihar, or India, or just me.

In Which Virginia Leaves the Apartment and I Neglect to Beat Her

When we moved into our apartment, the landlord only gave us one key. Maybe he expected Virginia to stay put. On a related note, I just read a paper about gender politics in Tamil Nadu, where 30.7% of female respondents stated that a man is justified in beating his wife if she leaves the home without telling him where she is going. In any case, VA doesn't fit into this 30.7%, and I don't beat, justified or not, so we needed an extra key. I asked my buddy to look around.

Literacy Compaign

Triumph! Jeff and I finally bought produce yesterday! We've been subsisting on restaurant food, pasta and Maggi Noodles (basically Indian Top Ramen, which we're very grateful is vegetarian). Last night, we had steamed potatoes and carrots and truly fantastic mango and banana smoothies. Partially because we're cowards and partially because we have legitimate cause, we didn't try approaching our local vegetable and fruit sellers until we had someone who spoke Hindi with us to negotiate prices.