Nine months out

My third quarterly report:

Dearest Watson Foundation,

My final two months in India were a welcome transition from my first two. Moving to the South gave me an interesting perspective on how large changes in region have on the character of the country and gave me a much greater appreciation for the diversity of agricultural practices and dietary habits and how they are both shifting. I will be the first to admit that India is not on the shortlist of places I want to spend the rest of my life, but I recognize I learned a lot through the ups and downs I went through there and am glad to have decided to stay on and visit the organizations and places I had planned to.

My first stop in the South was Kerala. For better or for worse, the state is India's most developed. Kerala boasts both rates of literacy and diabetes which rival or exceed the West. With the help of one saintly contact I was able to meet with a smattering of organizations which are working on a wide range of projects up and down the coast. I spent three weeks in Kerala, two talking with a number of organizations which have begun to help with nutrition education and preserving traditional farming practices in the region. Keralans historically consumed a local variety of rice which has recently been given up in favor of imported grains. Higher prices for spices, urban encroachment on rural areas, and the development of a postbox economy are only strengthening this trend. Studying how North Indian, Chinese, and Western diet have all begun to adapt and replace traditional foods was a fascinating endeavor. These changes are an ongoing and clear example of what happens to a culture’s diet during development. The people I met there presented a fascinating range of responses to the problems such changes create.

On a personal level, health issues continued to distract from my project at times. Though the stomach illnesses which I had faced during my first two months in India subsided after I entered the South, other problems came up to fill the space. While in Kumily, checking out the spice and tea plantations which provide much of the agricultural income of the state, I had an unfortunate run with a dog - and subsequently a series of run ins with a number of needles to protect against rabies. While heading to breakfast one morning, two street dogs were fighting and/or fornicating on the street. A shop owner picked up some stones and began tossing them at the mutts to try to get them away from his store. One of them escaped the barrage by cowering near me and when I gingerly put my foot out to keep the dog away from my person, it clamped on. The bite was relatively superficial, but broke the skin. I was quickly able to find a hospital with the vaccine and get cleaned up, but both in the sluggishness the shot provides as a side effect, and the fact that the course of shots runs over two months, it has been a bit of a drag. Additionally, getting to France, an itch which had begun in my final days of India became enough for me to get it checked out. A French dermatologist diagnosed me with a fungal infection and possibly a case of mites. Both of them seem to have been killed off by a two week regime of pills, aerosols, and caustic lotions, but I have become paranoid about even the slightest twitch. All in all, I am thankful that I came away with no lasting ailments. Seeing such visible health problems which exist in many parts of India, my maladies seem quite minor.

Crossing to the East Coast and the state of Tamil Nadu I finally stumbled upon the ‘middle path’ of Indian development. I sometimes think of my time in India as having been a crash course in the perils of development. As I learned more about the human cost of mistakes made by those trying to help, I became frustrated by the two sides which seem to hold the most sway. The pro-capitalist contingent denies that anything is wrong with the speed and effects of change on developing countries. The back-to-the land movement attacks any change as cultural genocide. Talking with the MS Swaminathan Foundation I finally found someone who was willing to look at issues seemingly without an outside agenda. They don’t come off as preachy, admit the mistakes of the past, and are willing to look at dynamic solutions for a better future. Rather than viewing problems as development vs. conservation, the foundation is tempting to tackle both. It brought good closure for my time in India to study the work the MS Swaminathan Foundation is doing. The MS Swaminathan Foundation finally gave me a sense that progress not only can be made, but is being made.

I spent my final week in India in Mumbai. The city was a welcome change from time I spent in other Indian cities like Delhi and Chennai and itt was also an interesting peek into how fast India is developing. Everything and anything exists in Mumbai - from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. There I really internalized the Sisyphean nature of learning about India – any fact you learn to be true, with enough time, you will also learn that the opposite is true. Despite the hectic nature of the city, Mumbai is doing well in preserving its local food culture through a variety of means, but also adapting to changing market demands. I left India just as confused as I entered it, which I guess is a fitting reaction; any notion that I had figured out India would have been an oversimplifying what the country truly is.

My entrance to France has been wonderful and strange transition. I think in many ways I buckled down in India. I reconnected with the mantra that people learn the most from uncomfortable situations, so being comfortable in France - even enjoying myself - I almost feel like I am cheating. I have to remind myself that it's okay to be not just learning, but having a good time too. Eating, talking with people, and exploring have all become so much easier since landing in Europe.

I have found that coming to a place which is so much more similar to my home than any other country I have visited; it is sometimes hard to remember just how different it is too. Trying to understand how a more socialized government like France’s works (and trying to explain to the French how individualistic America is), but also trying to poke my toes into the complexities of the European Union has been fascinating. Attending the national Agricultural Salon I was able to make contact with a wide variety of branches of the government, labor organizations, and farmers and I have begun to understand a bit more about how they manage to preserve local traditions in the face of large growth.

As a more hands-on (or stomach-on?) mission, I have been spending a lot of time touring the boulangeries of Paris and making small talk with the folks behind the counter trying to get a handle on what and why they make what they make. The laws surrounding baking and milling are so much more complicated and exacting here than they are in the US and the products show for it. Once you know what you are looking for, consistency and quality are fairly well assured thanks to the strong controls put in by the government.

This past week I have begun really getting my hands dirty with an apprenticeship at one of the boulangeries in Paris which is working to preserve traditional means of baking. Already in the first couple of days in the back room I have begun to feel the relief of cooking something which is so much more familiar than the other breads I have been studying on my trip. I am really happy to be gaining practical skills, to have settled in a cooking community, and to actually have a solid place to be for a little while.

Being in France has also put an interesting cap on the transition of languages for me. In Mexico I was trying desperately to learn Spanish, but rather than being disappointed in my failings, I was constantly finding myself proud and surprised by how well I was doing with the small amount of Spanish I had studied. In India, despite my attempts at learning some basic Hindi, I eventually resigned myself to asking help of others and accepted often needing to find those who spoke English to be able to make it through. In France I feel as if I should be able to make it through with the amount of French I know. For the first time in my journey I am working almost entirely in a foreign tongue and I had forgotten how exhausting it can be. Trying to read the newspaper and having a conversation or two can wipe me out. My French is just on the cuff of being good enough, but improving already. Despite the occasional instance where I am confounded by a miscommunication or long for an easy conversation in English with a native English speaker, it has been wonderful to flex my language muscles.

I am really excited for the final leg of my journey. I feel like my project has followed a wonderful arc and is heading towards a good conclusion. As I finish up my time in France and likely drift southwards towards Italy, despite all the meals and miles covered, the excitement of travel still remains.

Sincerely,
nathan leamy