Saturday, August 21, 2004

Am i really Indian?

Am i really Indian?

I am an indian girl who knows little about indian culture. I maybe born a pure malayalee, but inside i dont really know what being a malayalee is really about. I dont speak the language, neither do i understand it. I cant tell the differences between 2 different indian dialects.

I know little about indian food, all i know of it is it uses loads of spices. Indian food for me is just food. I cant tell the difference between a good biriyani and a bad one. I had actually thought Roti Canai (Paratha) originated from the Malays, when the name itself gave an obvious clue that it came from Chenai, India. Did you know that you had to use a particular fish for the red fish curry. The wrong type of fish would ruin the dish. There are loads of different types of spices used to cook an indian dish. Wonder why, they often say, " that Ammama makes the best biriyani, or that Amachi makes the best chicken curry because she has got a secret family recipe" Well its no wonder the all have their own secret recipes, there are millions of different spices to choose from. Just using a different spice gives the dish a completely different taste!

Indian culture is a whole new world to me. I have lots to learn to actually carry my self as an Indian and to know what i really am. So why is it, that i dont know much about being Indian? Why have i adopted english as my mother tongue? It takes alot being an indian, and carrying yourself as one. Being born an indian, does not make you a real indian until you have lived a life of knowing your culture- Gandhi . So am i really indian?