India’s three meals vs Malaysia’s six

Bernama's correspondent M Santhiran jots in his diary from New Delhi about the differences in lifestyles between Indians and Malaysians.

NEW DELHI: Into my second week as a foreign correspondent in New Delhi and with the winter at its tail end, I have been learning more about the locals or Delhi-ites and their routines here.

While I certainly miss the ‘mamak’ breakfast fare and the free wifi available in major eateries back home, I have also learnt of the dietary habits of the locals here worth emulating.

There is no such thing as luxury 24-hour ‘mamak’ stalls or restaurants where Malaysians have all-day access to their favourite “teh tarik”, quick breakfast or regular tea breaks.

In Delhi, people start their mornings with whatever they can grab along the roadside stalls and rush off to their workplaces traversing the congested roads in the city.

Out of curiosity, I asked my part-time driver of the local eating habits. He pointed out after breakfast Indians prefer heavy meals for lunch and dinner and nothing much in between with almost all restaurants closed by 10.00pm.

This is a stark contrast compared with back home where most Malaysians start the day with a sumptuous breakfast, followed by a coffee break, then a heavy lunch, tea, heavy dinner and supper.

Indians surprised at the dietary habits of Malaysians

Most locals I spoke to, were surprised when I told them that Malaysians sometimes eat up to six meals a day.

It appeared that the Indians have adopted good eating habits and they exercised naturally as they have to walk a lot in Delhi. Is this the reason why I hardly saw any overweight locals or those with bulging tummies?

However, I was also told that with the rising affluence the eating habits of the locals too were changing.

I learnt that even the people in the Indian External Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry were concerned with increasing fast-food outlets within their enclave.

When I pointed out that I’m probably lucky as there is only one fast-food outlet in Hauz Khas, the place where I am living, they said the number and locality did not matter as most major fast food outlets were now offering home delivery services. This meant fast food was becoming easily available.

Cyber cafes and Internet connections

Back home breakfast, coffee/tea breaks, dinner often comes with another luxury – free wifi connection. Here, this luxury is limited.

And if anyone is expecting cyber cafes in every corner of town like in Kuala Lumpur, then one is going to be disappointed.

To locate one, you have to ask a few locals about their whereabouts. They are usually located at the back-lanes of districts and equipped with minimal facilities. Customers also have to present their personal IDs.

Cellular communication too falls short of expectations in New Delhi

Gone were the good old days when I could sit in any corner of Kuala Lumpur and get whatever information or double check my facts or communicate with my contacts.

Here I even have difficulty receiving calls from my wife, sons or calls from headquarters in KL due to the poor reception.

Each time I receive a call, I need to rush out of the house to answer.

Since I am operating from my residence, I am having a hard time not only explaining my inability to communicate to my editors back in KL and also to my family.

Only during early hours in the morning or late at night will the connectivity improve but even then it is not as good as back home.

Greenery and public parks

That aside, it will not be polite of me if I don’t share the many positive aspects of the capital of India that will be my adopted home for the next two or three years.

While most local councils back home don’t appreciate many green lungs, what I noticed in Delhi is something worth sharing with all Malaysians.

Even though the city records poor pollutant index readings compared with many major cities of the world, in Delhi it is an offence to chop down trees even in your own compound.

During my first 12 days moving around the city centre and outskirts, I could hardly see barren landscape or land being cleared indiscriminately.

It is fair to say Delhi is far more advanced and serious in protecting its green lungs and environment than we are back home.

Strolling along Delhi’s central park, popularly known as Connaught Place and driving past Nehru Park, there is ample testimony how trees are well preserved here.

Even the presence of hundreds of “kuttas” (dogs) and people just having their breaks at stalls along the roads still failed to blight the verdant scenery.

A senior officer at National Media Centre shared his experience with me on how he was forced to wait up to three months to get the permission from local authorities just to trim a mango tree within his compound.

And the trees are certainly important here, what with summer approaching soon and mercury rising up to 45 degrees Celsius sometimes. During the heat wave, trees are the only cover for Delhi-ites to shield from the direct scorching sun.

- BERNAMA