Dinner at the Dairy Farm

Last night was a special night. I was invited to Reeta’s sons (Rohit) home for dinner last night. Rohit runs a dairy farm a few doors down and I was interested in how things were run knowing they would be very different from the USA, just not sure how different they were going to be. After getting a tour and lessons about the treatment of the cows on the farm vs the ones in the streets, how he milks the cows, packaging the milk, cream separator, a-1 vs a-2 milk… we took a ride to pick up a few things in Lanka at the market (Panipuri, Paan, yogurt and a few things to make bread and pizza crust) before dinner). What has become really clear to me is that I am no longer the teacher that I have been over these years at the college… I am now the student. My listening skills are coming in very handy.

Rohit is a man with few words until he knows someone is interested and will listen to what he has to say. As I slowly discovered, Rohit really knows what he is doing and has much wisdom. His dairy farm is progressive for India and might I say for the rest of the world as well. He has 10 or 12 cows that roam free on his land and are never tied up. He interacts with the animals all the time and know who he is. The cows knew there was a stranger there (me) and were a little weirded out by a new person. He believes that by giving the animals what they want and keeping them happy they will produce more milk. He clarified that by telling me he bought a cow from someone in the village that only produced 16kg of milk a day and after the cow came to his farm it produces 32kg of milk a day. He will only produce a-2 milk. In the USA almost all of the milk produced is a-1 milk. Here’s the explanation of the difference. His milking procedures are sanitary as are his packaging even though there is no refrigeration. Within two hours of milking all of his milk is sold and he has a waiting list for people who want to buy it because it is such high quality. Yes, it costs a little bit more and a lot of people are mostly concerned with the bottom line of price and not of the quality or flavor. Similarly, in the USA where people want to eat quantities of food even though it may not have the best flavors or nutrition content because they think it has the best value.

WOW… I’m getting an education about dairy. It’s very different here than in the USA due to the lack of government intervention. There are farmers who put chemicals in their milk to prevent bacteria from growing that are not very good for humans that go unnoticed because there are no regulations. Knowing your producer here in India is EXTREMELY important (I’d say imperative) and getting educated in their individual practices.

Another Rohit wisdom tidbit…

Being Happy….
Not only is it important to treat the animals well so they are happy and will produce more for us. It’s just as important for us to do the things that make us happy. For instance, I met a man this week who runs a clothing shop. He took some time to explain to me some of his morning rituals in his tradition. He is a happy man who loves his life, his family, his tradition and his business. I knew I needed to buy some clothing for an upcoming vipassana retreat so I went with him back to his shop. I was happy to pay the money to him that I negotiated. I could have haggled with him a little more maybe to pay less money but I was happy to support him by giving him my money even if it was a little bit more. This concept goes a long way. Like giving to a beggar on the street and maybe finding them at the liquor store buying alcohol after they told you they didn’t drink. You give from your heart because it makes you happy and not for the reasons of the outcome.

After I had my mind blown by getting a tour of the dairy farm I went with Rohit on his motorbike into Lanka to buy a few things for dinner. Rohit spoke to me the entire time we were on the bike and I listened carefully. He told me the 4 things that Banaras (Varanasi) is known for… Thugs/Cheaters, Paan, (shit I can’t remember). We traveled down some of the small alleyways on the motorbike to someone’s home who makes and sells some of the best Panipuri (Recipe here). It wasn’t a storefront, there were no signs and no way anyone off the street would have known this place existed. Most all of the market places I was taken to were like this. It might have been the two families knowing each other or just word of mouth. On the way home Rohit asked if I have had paan yet? I had not, and he stopped and got one for both of us. I was a bit skeptical because I was told to be careful about what I eat here. This family has been taking such great care of me and I didn’t want to be rude so I put it in my mouth and chewed it. I was told that sometimes they put tobacco and other drugs in it and I trusted Rohit this was the real thing. Oh was it delicious. After picking up some fresh sweetened yogurt we came back home for dinner.

We all sat on the floor while Rohit put the final touches on the potato filling that his wife made using tamarind flavored water, cumin, chilis, black salt for the Golgappa. This is one of those dishes that hits the sensory palate and keeps you coming back for more. The potato is somewhat sweet, the tamarind is sour, lime juice is tart, the salt, the crunchiness of the Panipuri. I had to stop myself from eating because my mind said eat eat eat even though I probably had eaten enough.

I’ve been here in Varanasi/Banaras for almost 12 days already and have eaten some amazing foods. One of my favorites is Biryani. I just love all the flavors and spices in this food and I’m looking forward to more as I travel further to the north after my noble silence/vipassana retreat. I’ll be in radio silence for a little while.