3 lists

While in Manali, I had a lot of leisure time, and came up with some lists.

Reasons I Like Sikhs

1. You can go to a service in temple wearing shorts and a t-shirt and not look like a freak.
2. Men have to cover their heads too.
3. They allow anyone to enter their places of worship (unlike some Islamic countries)
4. Have free food centers, most notably 24 hr service inside the Golden Temple complex.
5. They provide free accomodation to anyone and everyone in the GT
6. They aren't shy about alcohol. In West Bengal and UP, liquor stores were hard to find. Punjab? No problem! They're all over the place. The family I stayed with right outside Amritsar has to be the first hosts I've had that strongly encouraged me to drink at dinner time. When I sipped my scotch and water, the boys shook their heads and said, "punjabis do it in one gulp." Well good for them.

Reasons I Like Punjabi Food More Than Bengali

1. More dairy products consumed. I had yougurt with nearly every meal. Perfect fit with the curries and whatnot.
2. Less rice, more bread. Actually now after a couple weeks in northern india, I am no longer so anti-rice.
3. Use spoons while eating, so hands less a mess after eating.

Ways Asia is Better Than USA

1. Food.
This applies to East Asia, and not so much South Asia. I have never had a bad meal in Thailand. Food that looks awful ends up being delicious. It is just not the quality, but the prices. Even in Singapore and Hong Kong, two places as pricey as the USA, you can find cheap eating centers that serve great food.
2. Transportation
In nearly every country I have been in, buses and/or trains go everywhere and anywhere. Even in India and Bangladesh, it might take forever to get somewhere, but at least there is some type of vehicle that is going there.
3. Their embrace of technology
I'll just leave it at this: it is pretty sad when Indian telecom companies provide more features than their American peers. Granted, I have found Airtel (the mobile phone co. i'm using here) to be a pain and pretty shitty, but it does provide services that American companies don't.