Being paranoid abount hygiene isn't very pleasant, particularly in a country like ours where roads are every now and then spewing out sewer water, where public bathroom knobs are fondled by a 100 dirty hands everyday and where every roadside delicacy is enchanced by the sweet taste of it's maker's sweat. Life for a hygiene obsessed person is hard, very hard.
People often confuse a hygiene freak as a snob. NO.
My friends are very kind, despite my stubborn refusal they always offer me these seemingly sumptuous delicacies. Let me be honest, those oil drenched jelebis and crisp samosas make my heart rumble with cravings but then my stupid mind voice kicks in and menacingly propagates thoughts like, 'guess where those fingers were before the dough of the samsosa was rolled, have you seen the amount of hair the bald frankie wala had on his hands? Where does all of it go? Don't you remember the video you'd seen where a bare slab of ice was dragged on the road, that is exactly what goes into that milkshake looks so tempting.'
On other days, the food is really well made, with almost ISO Certified levels of hygiene. But then, my hands are never clean. I cannot fathom eating with hands that haven't been frothed by the lather of a proper hand wash. (No, I don't trust bar soaps and santitizers). I'm baffled beyond my wits when I see people in trains (after running their palms over numerous germ-infested railings and handles) casually eating sandwiches. But then I realise a majority of people do so, myself, being the 'weird minority'.
My kind friends who always offer me, are well versed with my 'unclean hands fix' and very benignly offer to feed me. I truly appreciate their affection, but no. You my friend haven't washed your hand either. I saw you tying your laces just a few minutes before you set your hands on that wonderful Veg Roll, I saw you pet a stray dog in the morning, which is cute, no doubt; but the Ms. Paranoid about hygiene in me gets frenzied at the thought of it and thus I must decline your offer.
On days when I don't have access to soap or worse even santitizer it's a nightmare. I grab the food item by the tip of my fingers trying to minimize the radius of contact on the food item and shove it into my mouth as fast as I can (Resorting to the highly unreliable 5 second rule).
No I am not here trying to remark on other people's standards of hygiene. I'm not trying to impose upon anyone my obsession, neither am I stopping anyone from gorging onto those lovely street chats. I am merely trying to give you an insight of what it is to be this 'bizzare minority in a country full of foodies'. Ps. I am a foodie, but a selective one.
One last thing, NEVER confuse a hygiene freak with a cleanliness freak. They are not the same. Like the former holds true for me but I don't give a damn about cleanliness. I am very much comfortable sitting in a room full of littered papers as long as my hands are clean before a food particle makes it's way through my mouth.
People often confuse a hygiene freak as a snob. NO.
My friends are very kind, despite my stubborn refusal they always offer me these seemingly sumptuous delicacies. Let me be honest, those oil drenched jelebis and crisp samosas make my heart rumble with cravings but then my stupid mind voice kicks in and menacingly propagates thoughts like, 'guess where those fingers were before the dough of the samsosa was rolled, have you seen the amount of hair the bald frankie wala had on his hands? Where does all of it go? Don't you remember the video you'd seen where a bare slab of ice was dragged on the road, that is exactly what goes into that milkshake looks so tempting.'
On other days, the food is really well made, with almost ISO Certified levels of hygiene. But then, my hands are never clean. I cannot fathom eating with hands that haven't been frothed by the lather of a proper hand wash. (No, I don't trust bar soaps and santitizers). I'm baffled beyond my wits when I see people in trains (after running their palms over numerous germ-infested railings and handles) casually eating sandwiches. But then I realise a majority of people do so, myself, being the 'weird minority'.
My kind friends who always offer me, are well versed with my 'unclean hands fix' and very benignly offer to feed me. I truly appreciate their affection, but no. You my friend haven't washed your hand either. I saw you tying your laces just a few minutes before you set your hands on that wonderful Veg Roll, I saw you pet a stray dog in the morning, which is cute, no doubt; but the Ms. Paranoid about hygiene in me gets frenzied at the thought of it and thus I must decline your offer.
On days when I don't have access to soap or worse even santitizer it's a nightmare. I grab the food item by the tip of my fingers trying to minimize the radius of contact on the food item and shove it into my mouth as fast as I can (Resorting to the highly unreliable 5 second rule).
No I am not here trying to remark on other people's standards of hygiene. I'm not trying to impose upon anyone my obsession, neither am I stopping anyone from gorging onto those lovely street chats. I am merely trying to give you an insight of what it is to be this 'bizzare minority in a country full of foodies'. Ps. I am a foodie, but a selective one.
One last thing, NEVER confuse a hygiene freak with a cleanliness freak. They are not the same. Like the former holds true for me but I don't give a damn about cleanliness. I am very much comfortable sitting in a room full of littered papers as long as my hands are clean before a food particle makes it's way through my mouth.
