India is a happening place. Recently the news about the Soft Drinks containing pesticides rocked India. But, Indian here, have you really stopped drinking them? Why or why not?

Ankur - I haven't heard this story, can you tell me what it's about please.

Fosse, it's controversial. Recent studies have proved that Pepsi and Coca Cola carry pesticides and are harmful to health. This has sparked an immediate debate and Pepsi and Coke are both trying to sue the company. Another interesting finding is that worms came out of a Dairy Milk chocolate. Another controversy has sparked up again.

Well, a yet another issue was of the milk. A news channel aired some striking footage on how the the milk from Sunsilk hair-shampoo was prepared and also how the milk containing 70% urea was prepared. In the next few days, many many if the people of Delhi region refused to drink milk.

So, today is DIWALI. I wish you all(not only Indian) a very happy diwali. I think all here would be Indians to visit this thread, but if else, they can always ask. Cheers.

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But, Indian here, have you really stopped drinking them?

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I've been off 'em for the last 3 years!

You mean milk??? Well, not exactly. But I do hate it, in fact before the milk 'scandal'. Every elder insists that milk is good, and I don't see any change in their opinion after the 'scam'. I think, the milk in our region, North India where cattle is in plenty, is not an issue of worry. But almost every seems to be cutting off from Cold Drinks. Not me, again.

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You mean milk???

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Oh, no, no, no! I meant soft-drinks! I just can't stand those things -- their icky, artificial taste, and thinking of the ingredients that make them up. Frankly speak, I consider those pesticides to be of the same standard as the phosphoric acid, colouring-agents, artificial flavourings...

Milk -- to be entirely honest, I haven't had pure milk since I was 7 years old! Since then, my dairy product intake has come through large amounts of curd (yogurt), cheese, butter, and a vast assortment of dairy-products. Somehow, I still don't put on much weight!

Indian cattle, though, should, however, be a cause of worry! Take the case of dairy-cows; while our indegenous breeds yield around 6 to 8 litres of milk a day, the famous Jersey cow gives over 60 litres! This is all a result of poor feeding, improper diet (seeing city cows eating plastic bags isn't that uncommon a site), improper care, inadequate living conditions, and a host of other reasons contribute towards this pathetic situation.

Well, since only Indians are reply, why don't I add a few of my comments ?

Soft drinks. I'd like to say that I drink them. Even if they have pesticides and what not, I like to drink them. I don't know why, I just enjoy them. I hated drinks when I was young but as I've grown up, I like 'em !

Now to milk. I hate milk. Sorry I can bear only white milk. I sometimes like milk mixed with Bournvita or Milo, but I hate fresh milk. I hate the smell and taste of pure milk.

Now here's something for you, Harish and Ankur, do you eat chocolates now ?

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do you eat chocolates now ?

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First of all, I'll give our 'foreign' members brief idea of what this whole 'chocolate contamination' business is all about.

A few days, or maybe even a week ago, a reported finding worms in her bars of Cadbury's chocolate. This opened a can of worms (pun intended!), and several people began reporting finding worms in their chocolate. Now Cadbury's is a multi-national company, and nobody expected this from them! And so Cadbury's is being blamed for improper conditions at its manufacturing-plants, and it is blaming poor storage and transport conditions. Guess we'll never find out who's responsible!

A couple of days or so ago, somebody reported finding white mould growing on a bar of Amul (an Indian company) chocolate. Amul claims that the white-patches are in fact "coagulated cocoa-butter", a result of storage at a temperature below 15 degrees celsius, which is the maximum permittable temperature. I personally find it rather surprising that they put cocoa-butter in their chocolate, Indian firms are usually too cheap for that kind of thing! My sister, a chocolate expert, keeps going on about "DO NOT eat the baking chocolate!!!" saying that it contains cocoa-butter, which is what makes it so special.

Several people having been talking about how "ignorance is bliss", saying how happy they were before they knew about pesticides in soft-drinks, lead in fish and prawns, escherichia coli and salmonella bacteria in chicken, and so on...

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Now getting back to Angi's question:

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do you eat chocolates now ?

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I think that'd be a yes!

Chocolates, why not? I read somewhere that an average chocolate bar has well, two legs of one or the other insect. I don't know how much truth is there in this fact, and never would like to know. I had loved chocolates when I was younger, but now I'm drifting apart. Not that I don't like them, but it's a matter of not-going-to-market-to-buy-chocolates sort of.

But, I think, Cold Drinks are the oxygen(or carbon-dioxides) of parties. I do look for one when I'm out on a trip or so. They're my all time fav's, Mirinda especially. Which is your fav flavour.

Ankur, I like having Pepsi, Coke, Thumbs Up etc. Now I feel that all these reports are nothing but publicity scams. I really feel so because Pepsi and Coke have survived so long that I really can't see them using pesticides. What do you think ?

I gave them up but not due to pesticides. In North India the water you drink has more pesticides than coke.

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I gave them up but not due to pesticides.

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At least I'm not alone!

Friends, what do you think of Indian food? How many of you daily eat chapatis? Do you like the food here? What's the common food you eat?

As for me, my favourite Indian dish is 'Gajar ka halwa'. Has anyone tried that?

I love chappatis, but I hate rice. I like to eat quite a lot of chappatis because they're pretty tasty.

Sweets, I like laddoos and of course, rasogolas, a Kolkatan favourite !

So, someone with me liking Chapati's. Yes, Rasogolas are sort of all time 'classic' from Kolkata. There're a variety of sweets available in India. Has anyone tried the Tikki with chutney?

So is the Indian food you find in Western restaurants close to 'the real thing' that is eaten in Indian homes?

I'm talking about things like my favourite Chicken Tikka, and the vindaloos etc.

I clean my drains out with Coca Cola, straight from the can to the sink AND I drink the stuff. Does this mean I have a very clean digestive system? Please help

to Exit 10,

The food in Western restaurants always vary a bit out of the world. It tastes pretty well but it is not quite the same. Like Chicken Tikka, Chicken Biriyani.

Bertho, nice to see that you've found two uses of Coke.

Hi exit 10, yes, Chinky is true in that. Even in India, the taste varies very much. Recently I visited Kolkata for a quiz, and I found that the Rasogolas were very different from what I had been used to. Even the staple food varies a lot within India. So what can you expect from diff. countries! Well, has anyone tried this 'shahi paneer' or has anyone tasted 'lassi'?

Mango lassi is one of my favourite drinks. Sometimes it even beats beer and will always beat Coke and just as well. Other flavours such as rosewater are still nice but I think the mango is the nicest.

It's been so long since I have been in an Indian restaurant I've forgotten all of the wonderful delicacies. In fact I can't think of any that I don't like.

You keep making my mouth water.

Let me tempt you a little further, Exit 10.

Mango lassi is one of India's specialities. Thanks for praising it ! A few more are the yougurt, the cream and the plain lassi !

Another of some Indian favourites are the dosa, idli, chicken biriyani and one of our Kolkatan favourites Chicken Chap.