I suppose there can be varying definitions of cultural events to attend, and I would say that I did not “attend” a cultural event-it just happened.  I have been friends with Kedar Gujar since I have been a student at Clemson.  We met fall semester of my freshmen year through the Clemson International Language Partner (CLLP) program.  We hit it off and became close friends.  This past weekend Kedar decided he needed a break from his thesis and proposed to make my roommates and me a traditional Indian dinner.

An avid lover of Indian cuisine and eager to see my friend, I accepted.  Typically Indian food is vegetarian, but Kedar is not a strict vegetarian because he eats chicken.  However, my roommate and I are vegetarians, so no chicken food that night!  Kedar chose to make Aloo Mater Curry and Baingan Bhartha.  We watched and listened to his stories of his mother’s cooking and how his does not compare at all.  He explained to us that it is important to cook the spices in a small amount of oil first, then add the ingredients.  Both dishes required interesting spices that I had never really had before, like garam masala powder and coriander powder.  To be honest, I never heard of those spices before.  My friend and I looked through his bags and containers, sniffing this and that and eventually sneezing very hard.  Many of the spices had a hot smell, which was natural seeing as most Indian food is very spicy.

Once Kedar actually started cooking (I am not sure what else to call it) the spices a certain aroma was released and I told Kedar I had smelled that elsewhere.  Kedar joked back with me to inform me that I had probably smelled that from him or other Indian students.  Kedar assures me that most Indians who cook traditional Indian foods continuously smell like the spices they ingest.  I am not so sure I believe that, but Kedar would be the person to know.

Now a quick description of the two food items: Aloo Mater curry is a curry involving potatoes, peas, onions and many spices; Baingan Bhartha involves baked eggplant and peas as well.  The curry blurred together to make a brown color with the occasional green, and the eggplant was a golden brownish color.  Kedar warmed up some previously made naan, as well, which was a tan color and spice-less.

Once everything had been prepared Kedar instructed us on the proper eating method.  We were not to use utensils, but the naan would be our fork.  He showed us how to rip a piece of naan with one hand and use it to scoop up our food.  It was a little difficult at first, but after the first naan, I was able to do it decently.  Everything was delicious and the food was very spicy.  I had to drink four glasses of water to make it through the dinner.

The only nontraditional part of the meal was how we washed our hands.  Kedar told us that normally Indians wash their hands in a bowl by the table, but we just washed our hands in the sink.  Kedar always manages to teach us new things about his culture, I just hope I have done the same for him.