Pratik and I once laughed heartily over what it meant to some to be vegetarian, and how they tried to get their fair share of protein. Something about more not-eating-meat than eating-vegetables haha :) Highlight of the conversation was basically… you’re vegetarian? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT LENTILS ARE?

They’re a protein heavy “bushy” annual plant in the legume family, says wikipedia… and they have the third-highest level of protein of any plant based food (after soybeans and hemp). You should eat them once in a while if you’re veg to get your protein fix. I also didn’t know that they were drought-tolerant :) I hadn’t had lentils yet in India, but we ordered lunch one day in our office and out popped lentils :)

I knew a lot of people were going to be vegetarian, but I didn’t know it would be so different to see how it all worked out in society. On restaurant signs, theirs always veg, non veg, pure veg, pure non-veg. When I’m eating with new people for the first time, I’m always asked if im veg or non-veg. :) I’m always like.. what? as if non-veg is a word i’ve never ever heard of before. Haha :) And honestly I’ve only had meat once so far :) The veggies here are really good. Which is cool also because I’ve been trying to cook more vegetables :)

The other thing I eat a lot is carbs! You eat with your hands… so its ripping a piece of naan or chapati or roti or something else.. and grabbing whatever else with it. It’s really weird for me to touch food with my left hand now haha. 

Anyways the lentils were really, really good. Had them with some roti and eggplant and ate on the floor with some coworkers :) 

Pictured above by the way, is a tiffin, something that was once passed around as somewhat of a foreign object in our “entrepreneurship to address global poverty” class. Funny now, because I use them everyday here to get the food we order (we order food every other night ^^), and so does everyone else.

Annnnyways… here are some lentils Pratik :) Hope your dad’s vegetable garden is still doing well (though i realize it’s been 4 years since we last talked about it). aha :) Let me know if you want anything else from India :) 

P.S. Check out the newspaper under the tiffin :)

P.P.S. I haven’t found anyone trying to sell me books on the road yet (only tissues….??)…HAHA. or I would’ve given you that :)