One thing which cracks me up (and sometimes drives me crazy) here is how often people ask me about whether and what I've eaten. My relatives call me all the time and one of the first questions is always (depending on the time of day), "You've finished breakfast/lunch/dinner?" If yes, then the mandatory follow up, "What did you eat?" If not, then "What will you eat?" Very few questions about what my job entails or how I'm feeling, but detailed inquiries into my daily diet. (This is mainly true of my older relatives -- my younger cousins don't really care what I'm eating.)

I've noticed this on previous trips of course, and just thought that's how my family members express concern for me. But now I know that this is a national obsession. If I go to the beauty salon in the afternoon, the ladies will invariably ask me if I've finished lunch and what I've eaten. On a visit to a school for work, one of the teachers I'd never met before inquired as to whether I'd eaten. (No 'hello' or 'what's your name' but just 'You've finished lunch?' in Kannada.) And yesterday, my bus driver asked me if I'd eaten! I guess it is just one of those social niceties, like asking about the weather, but I'm still not quite used to it.

Speaking of lunch, on Thursday I went to MTR! I've wanted to eat at Mavalli Tiffin Room since I was a little kid and my mom started making saaru with MTR rasam powder. MTR started as a B'lore restaurant in 1924, and 25 or 30 years ago they launched a line of food products and snacks that I've been eating my whole life. The food was awesome. For Rs. 80 (just under $2) each, we had a thali meal. Basically they give you a large steel plate and waiters walk around with big pails of food that they dish out in individual servings. Unlimited quantities. Rotis, pongal, bisibelebath, sambar, rasam, more food than you could possibly eat. Amazing....