Indian Summer: Don't Drink the Water

As Dave Matthews says, "Don't drink the water." Before I made the journey over here, this was included in every piece of advice I received. I've even been warned by Indians to only drink 'reputable' bottled water, which limits me to about three brands. I have been extremely cautious and avoid tap water at all costs, and also make sure I only drink one of the three brands of bottle water as recommended. At least the bottled water is cheap, though. At the grocery, it only costs Rs. 15, or about $0.30.

But, when you really start to consider this, it can become a huge hassle. From having to specify in every order to not include ice, thus having to consume room temperature (or warmer-it's hot in India you know) drinks to brushing your teeth, I find it very tempting just to get some ice or just use the water anyway to brush. I mean, its safe as long as I don't 'drink' it, right? Um, yeah, maybe not!

As depicted in Slumdog Millionaire when Salim is working in a restaurant, he takes a used bottle of water, fills it from a tub of tap water, and re-seals the bottle with super glue. Should this be a concern of mine at all? The common practice at restaurants, and I'm curious if it was recently implemented after the practice was exposed in Slumdog, is for the waiter to bring a bottle to the table and for you to 'approve' that it is sealed before he/she opens the bottle to serve.

I certainly have found it to be a royal pain to brush my teeth with bottled water. I do have a filter in one of the cabinets in the kitchen, but it really is more trouble than its worth to turn the filter on and wait for the light to indicate 'safe' before dispensing the water. And then, I'm still hesitant whether or not the filter really works as it should. You even have to be conscious not to open your mouth while taking a shower. Oh, the simple things people take for granted until you live/visit a developing country.

Tonight we went to dinner at Paparazzi (Yes Alex, there is a Bangalorepedia). It is located at the top of the Royal Orchid Central Park Hotel in Manipal Park in Bangalore. As the restaurant features glass windows on all sides, it offers a tremendous view of the city. And I must say that the food was as excellent as the view! It offers a variety of Global cuisines, and I opted for the Chicken Tikka Rissoto (see pic below) with steamed vegetables. Since I've been here, I've had my share of some foods a little on the spicy side. But wow, this put all of those to shame. It was definitely the spiciest dish I've ever eaten-period. Luckily, the rissoto balanced out the spice some, but we had to order an extra liter of water for me to keep eating this stuff. And, that purchase of the value size Tums from Sams wasn't such a bad idea either. I was able to get most of all that spice off my taste buds with dessert (see pics below), though.

Chicken Tikka Rissoto (Indian, with a little Italian flare)