The first time we ended a meal at a restaurant in India, the waiter brought us a small tray. On the left side were some small green bits, in the center were some toothpicks, and on my right hand side was something that looked like rocksalt. I peered at it curiously. "What is this, birdseed and rocksalt?. As we didn't have any locals with us, I could make this kind of culturally insensitive remark and Iowa Guru let it pass by without comment.
Now, about two months into our stay, I am deeply disappointed if at the end of the meal they don't bring the birdseed and rocksalt.
In fact, what they brought was neither birdseed nor rocksalt, but a combination of small anise seeds and large sugar crystals. This is a typical after meal presentation in the local restaurants. The anise seeds are very small indeed (and thus the convenience of the toothpicks), and they have a very pungent but not overwhelming flavor. The sugar crystals contrast with the anise seeds to give a very pleasant sensation. You take a small partial spoonful of seeds in the palm of your hand, along with a few of the sugar crystals, and pop them into your mouth. In fact, I now usually rinse and repeat a couple times because of the good flavor. Locals tell us it aids digestion; most of all the concoction leaves me with a happy mouth.
So, for my fellow hayseeds, don't be too quick to judge some of the newfangled things that get presented to us. People probably are going to serve you birdseed and rocksalt wherever you go in the world, and if they do, maybe he'll turn out to be quite tasty.
Now, about two months into our stay, I am deeply disappointed if at the end of the meal they don't bring the birdseed and rocksalt.
In fact, what they brought was neither birdseed nor rocksalt, but a combination of small anise seeds and large sugar crystals. This is a typical after meal presentation in the local restaurants. The anise seeds are very small indeed (and thus the convenience of the toothpicks), and they have a very pungent but not overwhelming flavor. The sugar crystals contrast with the anise seeds to give a very pleasant sensation. You take a small partial spoonful of seeds in the palm of your hand, along with a few of the sugar crystals, and pop them into your mouth. In fact, I now usually rinse and repeat a couple times because of the good flavor. Locals tell us it aids digestion; most of all the concoction leaves me with a happy mouth.
So, for my fellow hayseeds, don't be too quick to judge some of the newfangled things that get presented to us. People probably are going to serve you birdseed and rocksalt wherever you go in the world, and if they do, maybe he'll turn out to be quite tasty.
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