India - The time I learned to eat with my hands

Cross-cultural surprises

Podcast India culture S2E20

🇮🇳 In India, I learned that I eat... any way. 😅

Yes, despite my mom's upbringing and years of knife and fork training, I quickly realized that table etiquette can be... very cultural.

During an NGO project in India, I discovered the art of eating with THE hand - and beware, not just any hand. The right hand. Always. Because the left hand is considered impure, for practical... and symbolic reasons.

Eating dahl with your fingers? Tear chapati with one hand? I've tried it. I struggled. I loved it. And I lost 3 kilos in 3 weeks 😅

In this new episode of Intercultural Surprises, I tell you about this experience and the little (and big) surprises linked to the culture of the table in India 🇮🇳

👉 Spoiler: it's not just a story about cutlery. It's a beautiful invitation to humility, curiosity and self-laughter.

What about you? Have you ever been thrown off balance by rules of etiquette that differ from your own abroad? Tell me about it in comments or on social networks!

Whether you're an expat, a traveller or just curious about cultures and diversity, this podcast is for you!

Enjoy!

 

Find Surprises Interculturelles on your favorite platforms

Intercultural Surprises is THE podcast that takes you on a journey to a better understanding of the world's cultures.

🎤 I'm Charlotte Courtois, lecturer in cultural diversity and founder of the NGO Konstelacio, which educates children around the world about dialogue between cultures.

To find out more about who I am and what I do, for a collaboration or to contact me and tell me your own travel anecdotes, take a look at:
👉 My website : www.charlotte-courtois.com
👉 Konstelacio's : www.konstelacio.org
👉 The podcast Insta : www.instagram.com/surprisesinterculturelles
👉 My LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/chacourtois