The Third World?

I have had a couple of great meals in the past few days, the first was this sizzling browny sundae from the nearby veg restaurant. We sat on the AC floor. Most bigger places have two floors. One is non-AC and one is AC-enhanced with a more expensive, if not different, menu. I was still a bit hungry from lunch (shocking, I know) so I opted for the most American thing on the menu, this sundae. It came on a hot plate. The waiter warned me of this, but I figured it was just a hot plate, not an actual hot plate. That makes no sense. You know when you go to a Mexican restaurant and the fajitas come out sizzling away on a black pan? That is what this was served on. The browny was seared and the ice cream was balancing on top. He poured the chocolate sauce over it and then I couldn't really see what was going on with the concoction because my eyes were filled with steam. The chocolate that dripped onto the plate steamed and bubbled, as did some of the ice cream. It turned syrupy and thick and made for a delicious dinner! The browny was really just thin chocolate cake. I am so craving a fudge brownie from a Betty Crocker mix right now. I'll just have to wait a few months for one of those, I guess. For now, I'll have another gulab jamun.

Today I went for lunch at Benjarong, a fancy Thai place I read about in the Lonely Planet guide. It was awesome. For around $5.50, I had a 5-course lunch complete with tea, ginger soda, drinkable water, spinach leaf wraps, shrimp soup, chicken (yes, meat!) satay, papaya salad, green chicken curry, fish with spicy basil sauce, and coconut pumpkin custard for dessert. It was awesome and I was waited on hand and foot. I was writing down everything I was eating and I was there right when it opened, so I think they might have thought I was reviewing it. They kept having side conversations before anyone would come to the table. Or I could be totally making that up and they were just making fun of me, which is very likely.

As I promised, I am going to write a bit about what I have seen regarding Chennai's economic status. I don't know if it is considered a third-world country. I heard that term doesn't exists anymore. It is now the developed countries, developing, and lesser-developed countries. Or something like that. I would say India is in the stagnant country phase, if that exists. They pride themselves in being the world's largest Democracy but it isn't bringing any obvious benefits to the economy. I remember studying in Economics (via a John Stossel video) the differences in countries where it was easy to set up a business and where it was impossible. India is definitely more of the latter. The red tape is something even Indians, who take themselves very seriously (I'm serious), can laugh about. It is horrible and constricting. In asking about adoption in general at the orphanage, Ranjith just brushes it off because adoption even by wealthy Indian families, is nearly impossible. It takes major bribing and major connections. It is even more difficult for foreigners to adopt Indians. It is saying the government would prefer the kids live in poor conditions rather than with foreigners. This is just one of the many things that makes no sense about Indian society.

First of all, as I am obviously for equal rights, India is going to have to let go of some of its prejudice against women if it wants to grow. But, that is just a small part of the conservatism of Indian society that may be a hindrance. Don't get me wrong, I have only seen the south. Delhi, Kolkata, Agra, and all other parts of the north could have very different problems. Also, I am no economist (huge shocker), I just have open eyes and am jaded from living in suburban America. These are some prevalent problems I have noticed. I am calling them problems because, again, I am not used to them being the norm: India's time schedule is relaxed, at best. Nothing is ever on time, nor expected to be. Westerners exist to be taken advantage of. Today, my rickshaw driver tried to get me to buy his gas, in addition to the fare. A side note on rickshaws as an example of Indian inefficiencies: The other night at dinner, Sarah, Katrina, and I brainstormed the hilarities of being a rickshaw driver in Chennai and pulling all their silly stunts. We would pull over for five minutes to talk on our cell phones on the side of the road with a passenger waiting in the backseat, we would pull over for a cigarette break with our buddies, we wouldn't take any directions from women passengers, instead we would go out of our way to find and ask another rickshaw driver, even when it turns out the girl was correct, we would demand twice the amount upon arrival, refuse to use the meter, triple the amount for a white person, and best of all, pretend to have no change. Yes, that would be living the high life. Back to the problems: There is a fear of change, especially suggested change from a Westerner. It is insulting to suggest change, like at the orphanage, because it suggests their way of doing things is wrong and our ideas are way better. I have found that Indians (I am making sweeping generalizations when I say Indians, but please note that only means the ones I have come in contact with) are very resistant to change, like in the school and in the orphanage, because they have a set way and because it is their way, it is correct. This is true about Americans, too. I can only imagine what would happen in a business if a foreigner (especially with a different skin color) came and suggested changes to improve "efficiency." Either the place would give him/her the boot or- and this is why America is so wealthy, I think- adopt the changes if they thought it would make the company better. America is so efficient and constantly striving to be more efficient. India is not. And that is just the way of things. Sometimes, when I walk back to the apartment, there are three doormen on duty. There is litter everywhere and it is acceptable to throw trash on the ground. I really don't know why this is, but I have been up early and walking around I will see saree-clad women sweeping the street with bundles of sticks. They aren't doing this for free, that's for sure. But, why people just wouldn't put their trash in a garbage can is beyond me. They are accessible.

I went to Spencer Plaza today. It is the big shopping center in Chennai. Even the rickshaw drivers who don't speak English know Spencer Plaza. Now, I couldn't just walk into a store at any old mall in the U.S.- and I can't really compare the two countries, but I will- and bargain the twenty dollar shirt down to ten. Today, I bought some clothes that were on a rack with a price sign and still got a lower price. This is nice, but probably not healthy. Here, they want any business they can get, so if it means lowering the price, so be it. Walking away, as many of you may know, is the best way to get the price you want. It really does work! So that is the update on the problems I have noticed in hanging out in southern India. Gossip and the issue of "saving face" are also staples of life here, but I'm not sure of any direct impact on the economics of the place due to those things. If any of this seems totally wrong or you have questions/ comments, please speak! Post a comment or e-mail me, I would love to chat about what I have seen around Chennai, Nagercoil, and Kanyakumari. Loooooove that Western efficiency!