More and more non-native Indian residents are taking to social media to compare their life in their home country to their lifestyle in this country. A few weeks ago, a mom vlogger from Bengaluru praised the city's pubs for being kid-friendly. More recently, Kristen Fischer, a US citizen who first visited India in 2017 and now resides in New Delhi, captured her experiences beautifully.
"There are a lot of things I have learned over these last 3 years living in India. There are many differences between the USA and India and here I have highlighted some of those differences," she wrote.
The mother of three frequently shares insights on the cultural differences between the US and India on social media. In a recent Instagram video, she pointed out the contrast in food seasoning; while salt and pepper are typically sufficient in the US, Indian cuisine requires a diverse range of spices, including aamchur, haldi, jeera powder, dhaniya powder, garam masala and black pepper.
The vlogger also highlighted the differences in meal times: a typical dinner in the US might begin as early as 5 PM, while in India, it's common to eat around 10 PM. Kristen goes on to discuss coffee and tea culture, noting that Americans often prefer large takeaway coffee cups, whereas, in India, small cups of chai are meant to be savoured slowly.
Fischer also addressed dining etiquette, pointing out that while Americans typically use forks, eating with one’s hands is a common and culturally accepted practice in India.
The vlogger also addressed the difference in sizes of coffee or chai cups in the two countries! "In the USA our coffee cups are very big and usually to-go cups. But Indian chai cups are often small and meant to be enjoyed in the moment," she shared.
Several desi foodies weighed in with their insight on this post. "Somethings in USA are good like early dinner....which was followed in India too but later due to industrialization dinner was late which is not ideal for kids especially," a follower commented.
"If in the US dinner time is so early, won't you feel hungry by the time you go to bed?" another follower quipped.