(9) Kentucky in India is spicy! I don't like spicy food, but India was a spice hell for me.

Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka (9)
Kentucky in India is spicy! I don't like spicy food, but India was spice hell for me.

I was suddenly baptized in India with vomiting and diarrhea, and I struggled in agony, but finally I was able to return to Delhi. I still wonder what that mysterious injection was, but at any rate, I was able to recover my strength in this way.

To return to Delhi from Rishikesh, I could have driven back the way I came, but I decided to fly. I could have driven back the same way I came, but I decided to fly.

The road to the airport was through the forest.

Then I suddenly remembered: "I came here to see the explosion of life. I had come here to see the explosion of life.

"(1) Why I don't want to go to India, why I still have to go to India, that is the question."As I told you in the article "The Explosion of Life," I came to India during the rainy season because I wanted to see the lush world, which I would call "an explosion of life.

However, as soon as I arrived in India, I was completely overwhelmed by the chaos of Haridwar, and I had completely forgotten about the "explosion of life. Besides, I hardly felt any greenery in Haridwar and Rishikesh. For me, the image of Haridwar and Rishikesh was one of brown rivers and gray skies.

But here we are finally witnessing the lush world of the forest.

Indeed, it would be almost impossible to walk on this without crushing insects. The greenery is covering every crevice.

However, it is honestly difficult to say whether I felt an "explosion of life. I would say that the border between the dry season and the rainy season is the most appropriate time to feel the "explosion of life". Unless I witnessed the first rain, I cannot say for sure.

If it is this green, it is no different from Japan. Moreover, the sprouting of buds from winter to spring in Japan is also very dramatic and refreshing.

alsoAfter the dry season and intense heat exceeding 50 degrees CelsiusThe intense contrast of the rainy season is probably the reason for this "explosion of life. This may be something that can only be understood by staying in the area for a long period of time and observing it from a fixed point. Well, it was worth coming to the site just to understand this.

Now, back in Delhi, I headed directly to the Cyber City in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi.

The area around here is a modern city where Delhi's cutting-edge companies are concentrated and where one can see how India's high-tech industry is developing.

As you can see in the photo above, the main road from Delhi Airport to the surrounding area is a huge road with nearly 10 lanes. These roads are being built at an astonishing rate. It is a clear indication of India's momentum.

Indeed, as you approach the cyber city, you will see more and more extremely modern and beautiful buildings. You rarely see such beautiful buildings in the center of Delhi. The atmosphere is different.

Finally, we arrive at Cyber City. Beautiful buildings stand in a row.

To be honest, however, this is not so different from Shibuya or Roppongi. Compared to the rest of India, this place may be overwhelming, but by itself, it is just an ordinary group of buildings. Of course, India's economy is much more vibrant than that of Japan. However, I felt that the cybercity here was no more than "not the India of the past". Well, that is a big deal here in India.

There is a huge shopping mall in Cybercity, which also houses McDonald's, Starbucks, and other global chain restaurants. There was also a Uniqlo in the back. This place hardly felt Indian, even though it is in Delhi. You may think that "not Indian" is a matter of course, but this is a big deal. But this is the most important thing. It is not only the buildings and people. Everything, from the smell to what is placed there, is "Indian-like. India is India no matter where you go.

But this place is clearly global. I don't even smell Indian.

This is what I was looking forward to. You could say I was already longing for it.

During my recuperation in Rishikesh, I had a craving for un-Indian food in an un-Indian shopping mall, namely Kentucky.

Let's be clear! I am sick and tired of India!

Well, I know it's not easy to be suddenly declared like this, so let me explain.

First of all, I am not a big fan of spicy food. I prefer sweet curry. Even medium spicy is too much for me. I am not even a fan of very spicy food. I am not confident about spices either.

And I have a weak stomach. It would be very dangerous for me to eat spices in India. Therefore, from the very beginning of this trip, I had told the guide that I could not eat any spicy food or spices.

But this is what came out on the first night in Haridwar.

The naan was still safe. However, the dish on the right was spicy by any measure.

I checked. 'These don't have any spices in them, do they?' And.

Yes, I ordered it so that Ueda-san could eat it," the guide said confidently.

But it is spicy. And I can obviously taste the spice too. Is there something wrong with me?

I have guided many Japanese people in the past, and they were all fine. So you should be fine, too. Please eat with peace of mind.

No, it's not so much about peace of mind, it's already hard for me. I have a hardcore sweet tooth, and it's already hard for me.

Please eat a lot. I will choose something that even Ueda-san can enjoy.

I am sorry. I ended up finishing my meal with almost nothing to eat.

Convinced after the first day that an Indian diet was impossible, I decided to pass the night with a calorie mate.

And unfortunately, there was nothing edible for breakfast the next morning, so I retired with a piece of bread and margarine. The taste of coffee, which I had asked for as a last resort, did not help, and I felt even more depressed. For me, not being able to drink coffee was a real pain.

I was so desperate for food in Haridwar that I hardly had any appetite at all, and I began to get more and more fatigued day by day. I was getting tired of Calorie Mate, which was the only thing I could rely on. Calorie Mate in the morning and evening. I had no appetite at lunchtime, so I skipped lunch. Such was my life in Haridwar.

If you hate Indian food so much, why don't you just eat something else? Didn't they have Mac's or Kentucky?

It is not.

Haridwar is a Hindu holy place, and as such, only completely vegetarian food is available. Kentucky, which uses a lot of meat, is out of the question.

Moreover, Haridwar is a sacred place where Indians gather. It is not a place that attracts tourists from all over the world like the Taj Mahal. It does not respond well to globalization in the first place.

So for me, the option of escaping to other foods did not exist. Wherever I went, there was only "THE India".

I moved to Rishikesh, had a light dinner, and that night, the tragedy happened. (I was in Rishikesh.)(8) Indian baptism finally arrived. Down with severe vomiting and diarrhea. So much for the trip..."(See article in)

I do not know why I was struck by such a tragedy. At first I thought it was food poisoning, a specialty of India, but when I asked a Japanese doctor after returning to Japan, he also told me that those symptoms might have been viral. I agree. I could hardly eat enough, I was exhausted, and my immunity must have been lowered to the ground under the mental stress. In such a state, I was sitting on the ground in the rain in Rishikesh with my hands on my hips. It was no wonder he was so exhausted.

And even in Rishikesh, although he was almost fasting, the doctor's orders were to take a little porridge in the morning and evening.

But what was served there was bright yellow porridge. I had been traumatized by Indian food, so this was nothing but hell for me. The moment I opened the lid, the aroma of spices hit me. Let me eat something white at least for porridge! As expected, I was at my limit!

I immediately called my guide.

Excuse me, the porridge is yellow. It's the spices. I can't take it anymore. Can you please ask the hotel to ask for no spice?"

The answer came as a surprise.

No, eat that. If you take that spice, your stomach will feel better. So, Mr. Ueda, please eat as much as you can.I asked them to let that one out.I have to eat to get well. If you don't eat, you won't get well."

...This was your doing!

Give me a break..! I sneak up to the front desk and say, "No Spice! White rice, ONLY PLEASE!" I told them with a desperate look on my face. Perhaps my desperate plea got through to them, but from then on, white porridge was served. Thus, I began to recover little by little.

It is only natural that as one recovers, one's appetite also increases. One after another, the cravings for this and that kept popping up. One of those cravings was for Kentucky!

That's right. Kentucky has a store here in Cyber City!

I was already looking forward to this with great anticipation! I finally get to be in something that isn't India!

However, as one would expect from India, the menu is quite different from that of Japan. There is no original chicken like in Japan.

I ordered a basic set of chicken burger-like items, as I wasn't sure what to expect from the menu.

It was the long-awaited Kentucky. I was excited to try the burger, but ...

It's spicy!

It's hot, this chicken! No, I can't eat it! I can't eat it!

What a surprise! Has India swallowed even Western civilization? Even the universal civilization of Kentucky has been invaded by Indian flavoring!

I hurriedly asked my guide. Is this what Kentucky is like in India? Is this spiciness normal?" He replied, "Yes, it is.

Yes, I do. If it's not like this, it's not enough for Indians."

Ah... India. O India, the eternal India...! It's okay to change where you change, right? Can't we at least accept Kentucky the way it is?

Don't be silly. India is India. Everything here is extraordinarily rich. It is an overwhelming world that covers everything. Indian civilization is terrifying...I am finally becoming afraid of India.

At any rate, this was how my first stay in India came to an end.

All that remains is to return home. I'm so proud of how far I've come. There is nothing more to say.

I know this may sound like a preamble, but the fact is that India continued to surprise me right up to the moment I left.

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