Back again at home I am thinking of all the things and experiences that are available here only in Bihar. Sitting on a modified version of Piaggio auto rickshaw in Patna I am precariously perched on the corner of one of the two rows of seats at back. There is another row of seats in the front where the driver sits. Basically it is a seat just wide enough for the driver to sit comfortably. But with complete small town ingenuity he has managed to get 3 other passengers to sit with him.
From a life among the Marathi manoos to a sojourn among the bhaiyyas, it is all different and mostly pleasantly so. Actually bhaiyyas may not be the right term for Biharis as they are politer than the UP walas.
One of the most important reasons due to which I always look eagerly forward to my home trips is obviously the food. No continental, Chinese, Mexican, Lebanese or whatever cuisine can even dream of showing light to the smell of freshly baked rotis and piping hot dal along with mutton with thick gravy having spices fried in pure ghee.
Then there is Litti, that famous Bihari snack. Calling it famous because it is available even in Mumbai <ahem ahem> Litti consists of outer cover of battered dough made of wheat flour and filled with sattu. Sattu is a kind of gram flour. The only difference between it and besan is that gram is sand fried before being ground in case of sattu. Hot littis with generous dollops of ghee spread over them, are to be had with mashed brinjals or potatoes or chicken/ mutton with thick dry gravy. The taste is awesome, pure bliss and your taste buds will keep salivating long after they are over.
Biharis have their idiosyncrasies, their vagaries and their typical Bihari style of pronunciation. For a common Bihari/ riral folks, "station" is always "teason" to be pronounced as "reason" with "s" as "sh". School is "Iskool", corner is "Karner", "inspector" is "nispitter" and many more such words.
There is something else that I have noticed only in Bihari men, in the rural male and in some of the town misters also. They tie their lungis (a piece of cloth normally available in solid colors/ checks, same as veshti/ mundu down south) just above their chest in the same way females tie their petticoat above their breasts to protect their modesty while bathing. The difference with Bihari men here is that they don't do so while bathing in public but while roaming in public especially during early mornings. The only thing I have been unable to understand is what modesty they try to hide by tying their lungis at such heights.
I will be writing few more posts on Bihar, on the changes which I have seen here and hear about and some more Bihari specialities ("ispesaalty" as said by the famous Litti chokha shop owner near Patna station).
This is my first post that has been written on a phone and during an auto ride. And I could not have imagined myself doing that anywhere else. But since a start has been made I hope to continue the same in local trains of Amchi Mumbai also.
P.S. - I updated my native place in the places list in the Facebook check-in feature. You can also do so and add lots and lots of places and make it more comprehensive so that the next time someone tries to do so your city is present in the list :-)
Ciao
From a life among the Marathi manoos to a sojourn among the bhaiyyas, it is all different and mostly pleasantly so. Actually bhaiyyas may not be the right term for Biharis as they are politer than the UP walas.
One of the most important reasons due to which I always look eagerly forward to my home trips is obviously the food. No continental, Chinese, Mexican, Lebanese or whatever cuisine can even dream of showing light to the smell of freshly baked rotis and piping hot dal along with mutton with thick gravy having spices fried in pure ghee.
Then there is Litti, that famous Bihari snack. Calling it famous because it is available even in Mumbai <ahem ahem> Litti consists of outer cover of battered dough made of wheat flour and filled with sattu. Sattu is a kind of gram flour. The only difference between it and besan is that gram is sand fried before being ground in case of sattu. Hot littis with generous dollops of ghee spread over them, are to be had with mashed brinjals or potatoes or chicken/ mutton with thick dry gravy. The taste is awesome, pure bliss and your taste buds will keep salivating long after they are over.
Biharis have their idiosyncrasies, their vagaries and their typical Bihari style of pronunciation. For a common Bihari/ riral folks, "station" is always "teason" to be pronounced as "reason" with "s" as "sh". School is "Iskool", corner is "Karner", "inspector" is "nispitter" and many more such words.
There is something else that I have noticed only in Bihari men, in the rural male and in some of the town misters also. They tie their lungis (a piece of cloth normally available in solid colors/ checks, same as veshti/ mundu down south) just above their chest in the same way females tie their petticoat above their breasts to protect their modesty while bathing. The difference with Bihari men here is that they don't do so while bathing in public but while roaming in public especially during early mornings. The only thing I have been unable to understand is what modesty they try to hide by tying their lungis at such heights.
I will be writing few more posts on Bihar, on the changes which I have seen here and hear about and some more Bihari specialities ("ispesaalty" as said by the famous Litti chokha shop owner near Patna station).
This is my first post that has been written on a phone and during an auto ride. And I could not have imagined myself doing that anywhere else. But since a start has been made I hope to continue the same in local trains of Amchi Mumbai also.
P.S. - I updated my native place in the places list in the Facebook check-in feature. You can also do so and add lots and lots of places and make it more comprehensive so that the next time someone tries to do so your city is present in the list :-)
Ciao
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