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Preface
My name is Xiao Su, because of my work, I often travel to different countries for business, I have long heard that India is a country full of mystery, so I embarked on a journey to India with my friends.
On our first day in India, my friend and I got to know the local beauty of West Asia, and with her help, we were able to visit many of the local attractions.
As we ate together, she suddenly asked, "Why are Chinese so poor, why don't you eat or buy anything?"
[This article is a fictional story, the names in the article are pseudonyms, and if someone carries it, they will be held responsible]
Lifestyle habits
My friends and I made an appointment to travel to India on holidays, which aroused the curiosity of many of my colleagues, who also wanted to go to India, a fascinating country, and told me to remember to bring some souvenirs back and take more photos for them.
When my friend and I set foot on the land of India in a resort-style dress, even though we were from a relatively affluent part of India, there was always a strange smell in the air, and the unique style of our clothing attracted a lot of attention.
China's sanitation is very good, and the streets are green and hygienic in some public places, but this is not the case in India, when we want to take a taxi to the hotel, we can see garbage piled up on the ground everywhere along the way, and even see many people defecating in the open, which makes us feel uncomfortable.
Along the way, you can see all kinds of "scenery", vendors with food exposed to the air, unorderly motorcycles and people shuttling through the road, and even ox carts, as if you have returned to the original countryside.
If you want to travel to India, it is best not to be alone, and it will be safer to come with three or five friends, preferably male friends.
My friends and I booked a mid-to-upper-priced hotel in the area, which is similar to the average hotel in China, but compared to some affordable hotels, the surrounding environment is slightly worse, and there is less food and places to visit in the vicinity.
When we put our luggage, we were already hungry, so we proposed to go to the hotel near the "foraging" to see what food is available in India, as early as when we came to India, we made a good strategy, learned that the locals prefer to eat "pilaf", we also brought chopsticks, want to taste the delicious taste of this country, but things are not as simple as imagined.
We were first attracted by the "nai pancakes" in the hands of a chef, and we could smell that they used curry and other spices to knead the dough evenly and spread it thinly and evenly, constantly rotating in the hands.
Although most of the time they don't make food with gloves and will hand you the food directly, some of the food is prepared in a way that is acceptable, and the aromatic food is different from Chinese food.
It's just that Chinese food is full of color, flavor and taste, and some Indian foods are not attractive in appearance, such as a food called "cement cake", which looks like cement for bricklaying, which makes people lose their appetite.
Most of the food on the streets of India is exposed to the air, and it is also prepared directly, with a variety of bottles and cans of seasonings, which locals can taste and outsiders need a certain amount of courage.
I once saw the process of making "aloe vera juice" by an Indian stall owner, and many foreign tourists rushed to buy it, when I saw the process of making this juice with my own eyes, I was a little afraid to try it, and my friend was not so lucky, after drinking a whole cup with the psychology of "hunting", I had diarrhea for a few days, and sure enough, the eating habits of the two countries are different, and it is difficult for Chinese stomachs to enjoy Indian food.
This incident left a shadow on my heart, and I often went to restaurants in India to eat, although it was incompatible with many locals who tasted "pilaf", but at least it solved the problem of food and clothing.
It's just that whenever I play around, I will always be attracted by the fragrant food stalls, and it is at this time that I met Xia Xia, and she asked me curiously why I didn't buy anything to eat all the way.
Become friends
Along the way, most of the time it was my friends who kept trying Indian food, and I was a little difficult to accept just by seeing how to make it, but for the help of my family and friends, I took a lot of videos and made a lot of videos, so it caught the attention of West Asia.
Sia is an iconic beauty in India, she has delicate eyebrows and slender figures, she is different from many women I have seen in India, her eyes seem to be as bright as a bright galaxy, and her energetic appearance is like a small sun.
I tentatively asked her if she knew English, and she replied fluently in English that I had studied abroad, and I didn't look like a local after reading it, and asked curiously which country I was from.
When she learned that I was from China, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but when she saw the food in front of the stall, she asked me in a somewhat conflicting tone, are Chinese so poor?
I explained to her that I was not accustomed to the water and soil, and my stomach was not used to the food here, so I did not choose to eat too much, but to be in moderation.
Later, she happily asked me why I chose to visit India, I told her what I had seen and heard in India in the past few days, and it was obvious that West Asia has a strong sense of national pride, and she also exchanged contact information with me, hoping to become our tour guide for the next trip.
Along the way, she introduced me to India in her eyes, and out of curiosity, I asked her if she was currently studying or working, and she said that her family had some business in India, and she had just returned from studying abroad and was still hesitant to work in which country.
Hearing that West Asia was hesitating, I began to talk to her about China, which has a long history and culture, where there are beautiful mountains and rivers, all kinds of food, people are harmonious and friendly, and they are open and tolerant to foreign friends.
When she learned that China is such a powerful country, she was very curious to know more, and I invited her to travel to China, and she readily agreed.
When we came to the famous city of Mumbai, I was moved by the sight in front of me, although the city is very well developed, but the scene on the same land seems a little "bleak".
On the one hand, there is the extravagant life of the rich people who are "drunk on paper", and on the other hand, there are unsightly and impoverished poor people.
Cultural differences
In addition to the scene on the street, people feel that the cultural differences between the two countries are obvious, and there are certain differences in culture and life between the two countries, such as going to the toilet, Chinese are accustomed to using toilet paper, while India believes that water will be more hygienic and clean.
It is confusing to know that they bathe, wash clothes and brush their teeth in the same Ganges River, and I have heard that many people of faith will scatter the ashes of their relatives and friends after their death into the river, and even some people who do not have enough money to cremate them directly throw their bodies into the river.
The status of men and women in India is not equal, many families do not want to give birth to girls, and many girls from poor families face the risk of being arranged by their families to marry as soon as they reach adulthood, and they work all their lives to take care of their husbands and children, and this situation has not changed.
Indian men walking on the street can hook their shoulders, go out to work, set up stalls and sell, but women go out alone There are certain personal safety risks, and there can be no intimate movements between strange men and women.
Indian women like gold jewelry, believing that the more gold jewelry the more valuable is a status symbol, once you want to marry a wife, you should prepare gorgeous clothes and accessories, and marry out in style, showing the importance of the bride.
epilogue
After a trip to India, I felt the cultural customs of this country, saw the special attractions here, tasted delicious food, and looked forward to the day when West Asia could come to China and feel the special features of China.