Why is the Rice in Indian KFC Filled with Hot Spices? #cry

Traveling alone and only minding myself, I always end up with richer and funnier experiences. I love reliving my 3-week India trip. So, through food, here are some of the warmest (also awkward) things I’ve experienced.

When I announced my plans to go to India, one of the many concerns that my family and friends had was the risk of getting “Delhi belly.” My mom, being mom, made me pack medicines and oils in case I get a bad stomach. Thankfully, for the 3 weeks that I toured around the country, I never got sick.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to write about the food I ate. These may also not be the best food to try in India (lots of fast food). But when I reviewed my gallery, there were a bunch of food photos so here are the stories attached to them!

Fancy Food Bowl in Kolkata

Confirming how Indian men call women, “Madam” more than “Miss” or “Ma’am.”

It was my second day in India. I went to a mall to buy a new bag (didn’t find any, it was a fancy mall, and everything was luxury branded) because the one I had got drenched in water from the tumbler that I didn’t tightly close hahaha!

So yeah, I went to the food court where most of the stalls were still closed (this was almost 11:00 am). I forgot I had limited knowledge of Indian food, so I ordered from this “make your own” food bowl. Hahaha, I obviously struggled.

A conversation between me, the staff, and a random man

• Me: Ahhh *said and pointed dishes I know*
• Staff: What about sides, ma’am?
• Me: *looked at the menu, didn’t recognize anything at all* You can just put whatever 
• Staff: *surprised, just looked at me and didn’t move*
• Me: It’s alright, just put anything.

Then, out of the blue…

• Man: Madam, NO *proceeded to explain the sides, then instructed the staff to put those in my bowl*
• Me: *stunned!! Who was this man and where did he come from? But also immediately looked at the menu to see if I had to pay extra for the sides he mentioned (I didn’t, thank god hehe)* Ahhh ok right sure.
• Man: It’ll be good, madam. Trust me.
• Me: *still a bit surprised* Suuure.

I got my food. It was indeed yummy. Then I observed this man, saw him talked to the staff many times, and concluded that he might be the owner or something. Once I finished, I proceeded to overthink how I was going to thank this person for helping my clueless self. In the end, I was able to blurt out, “It was great! Thank you!” without stuttering, flash a smile and a thumbs-up, and wave goodbye. Did I overdo it? Hahaha, it was a good day.

Veg McDonald’s Meal in Hyderabad

Finding out that Indians don’t mind starting a conversation, even if there’s a language barrier.

I always try to eat at a local McDonald’s when I visit a new place and order the most localized food on the menu. So, on my fourth day (now in Hyderabad), that’s exactly what I did.

Here’s the veg meal (burger and fries) I ordered, and I must say, after the first bite, I immediately regretted it. But my mom taught us not to waste food and I paid for it with my hard-earned money, so I ate it. Fries were a little bland, but it was okay. I cried inside.

Enter the chattiest man ever

While I was eating, this guy, 10 feet away, tried to talk to me in a language I wasn’t familiar with. When English didn’t work, I did my best to say my second most used line during the trip, “Muje Hindi/Telugu na he atee” (which translates to “I don’t speak Hindi/Telugu”) but as what everyone did, I found out later, he continued talking.

Anyway, with a little bit of English and hand signs, I found out that he went for a checkup that day, he’s from Kashmir (which probably explained the fair skin, Persian features, and beautiful light brown eyes), he’s in the army and currently stationed in Hyderabad for about 2-3 years. That he had a fashion model girlfriend based in Mumbai, but things didn’t work out for them because he wanted to get married soon and she wanted to do more for her career first (u go gurl). He even showed me the photo of the other girl he’s arranged to be married to the following year hahaha!

After about 30 minutes, my small talk energy meter reached 0 plus I also had places to see! So, I extracted myself from his chattiness vortex by booking an Uber. Until the moment I said goodbye, he was still talking. He even asked what time it was and shared that he still had 5 hours before his curfew. Hahaha so talkative!

Final thoughts: Why can’t McDonald’s in the Philippines accept credit and debit cards like in India?!

Another fast-food chain in Hyderabad – KFC

Trying out an Indian food delivery app, learning that Indians prefer to call than send a text, and crying over spicy food.

Before this day at an Indian KFC (fast food again but I had a reason!), a friend told me to try Hyderabad Special Biryani. I’ve eaten many biryanis since 2015 so I was game. I ordered one using the Swiggy app and had it delivered to the hostel because, well, I just wanted to experience what it’s like ordering from an app in India.

A funny glimpse of India’s sharing economy

Unlike here in the Philippines where most apps (ride-sharing, food delivery) save you from having phone conversations with another human being, things are done differently in India. People call almost 100% of the time. Did I do my best to pin my location correctly? Didn’t matter, they all called. So, every time I used my travel phone with Indian number to book Ola or Uber, I had to practice saying my most used Hindi phrases because I know I would need them.

Okay. So, my special biryani arrived. Thought it was harmless (based on previous experience) but man, it was so spicy it burned!! I not only felt it on my tongue but also in my chest and stomach! It was the first time I experienced that level of hotness and from that moment on, I swore off eating anything spicy for the rest of my trip!

Which is why, the next day, here’s a KFC meal because my thinking was, they should probably be serving the same original chicken recipe, right? You know, without the spices sneakily mixed in with the rice! It didn’t say anywhere on the menu, so I guess that’s normal…? The hot wings were fine but combining them with spiced rice… I felt sorry for myself.

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish my food this time because I drank all the beverages I had, and I was too cheap to buy more. I’m a changed person after these two incidents. I’m now more cautious with spicy food!

Chinese Food in Colaba, Mumbai

Saying “parcel” like a true Indian, experiencing a creepy hotel, and finding peace after a scary incident.

By this time in Mumbai, I was done with anything spicy so I specifically looked for Chinese food. Chose the nearest one on Google Maps which led me to All Stir Fry at The Gordon House Hotel.

For just ₹580 (₱434), I got this fried rice with veggies and chicken (opted to add meat because my McDonald experience with a veggie meal wasn’t nice) plus appetizers. Yummy and good for 2-3 persons so I asked if they could “parcel” the leftover which they did. I was happy to have food for dinner but then I forgot it in my first hotel (The Carlton Hotel—which I don’t recommend to solo female travelers!) when I transferred to a different one.

The day after the hotel incident, I came across and randomly went inside this church because like what happened to me in Paris (where I got lost for 3 hours and when I was about to lose hope, I randomly picked the Saint-François-Xavier bus stop, got down, went inside the church, and while walking around the area, found this segway tour company that brought me around the major spots before I had to catch my train back to Geneva. Super stressed), I gravitated towards something familiar in a strange, new place for peace of mind.

Special mention to a Scottish kirk

Anyway, the one in Mumbai was called The Church of St. Andrew & St. Columba (a Scottish, Presbyterian kirk built in 1820) where its Reverend Rao approached and offered to pray for me. Wouldn’t lie, I cried while he was praying for me hahaha but I felt a bit refreshed after. Is traveling alone stressful? Sometimes. Is it still worth it? Yes!