India’s three meals vs Malaysia’s six meals

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 Wi-Fi 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 restaurant 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 10.00 pm.

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.

Most locals I spoke to were surprised when I told them that Malaysians could have up to six meals a day.

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

However, I was also told that with the rising aff luence 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 were now offering home delivery services. This means fast food is easily available.

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 the town like in Kuala Lumpur, then one is going to be disappointed.

To locate one, you have to ask a few locals on their whereabouts. They are usually located on the back-lanes and equipped with minimal facilities and customers need to present their personal IDs. Cellular communication too falls short of expectation in New Delhi.

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

Here I even have difficulties 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 hard time not only explaining to my editors back in KL but also to my family back home. Only during early hours in the morning or late at night the connectivity improves but even then it is not as good as back home.

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 next two or three years.

While most local councils back home don’t appreciate much 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.

Stroll along Delhi’s central park or popularly known as Connaught Place and drive pass the Nehru Park, there are ample testimony how trees are well preserved.

Even the presence of hundreds of “kuttas” (dogs) and people just having their breaks along the 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, with the summer appearing soon the mercury could rise up to 45 degrees Celsius. And, trees are the only cover for the Delhi-ites from the direct scorching heat. – Bernama BERNAMA’s correspondent M. Santhiran jots his diary from New Delhi