Hindi, by Jessie Eisenberg

Please note that I am eating authentic biryani in Hyderabad, the home of this most delectable rice concoction. Also please note that, according to local custom, I am eating it with my hand. My right hand to be specific, so as not to offend - or more accurately to repulse - any Indians who still use their left hands for other functions (in lieu of toilet paper, for example). Not visible in this picture is David, happily using a fork to convey this tasty meal into his mouth in a far more practical and expedient manner.As Max has noted, paper napkins in India are wax coated, so they simply spread grease from one place to another. Thus, until you have access to hot water and soap, your biryani meal sticks to more than your ribs.In Waltham, Massachusetts, where we live when we are not in India trying to escape the winter weather, I mean, in India seeking spiritual enlightenment, there are many people from India and for each one, it seems, an Indian restaurant. I would love to be able to enjoy a good dish of biryani close to home in any one of these Indian restaurants. But that's not happening. Not because they don't offer biryani. People say to us, "Oh, you live in Waltham. There are many Indian restaurants there. Why are they all so terrible?" I have no idea, but I can tell you, I've tried them all and gotten sick in each one.Jessie Eisenberg (whom I will forever confuse with Mark Zuckerburg) is not only a talented actor, he is a funny writer. And a successful one as well, as witnessed by his piece in last week's The New Yorker magazine (thankfully available on line here in India).If I Was Fluent in Hindi, by Jessie EisenburgWAITER AT INDIAN RESTAURANT: Hello, sir, welcome to an authentic Indian restaurant. Do you have any questions about the menu?ME: Yes. Why does your food always make me sick?WAITER: Because we serve our American customers the kind with the weird spices that irritate their intestinal tracts.ME: Oh.WAITER: Yes, it’s official policy at all Indian restaurants.ME: Well, what do you serve your Indian patrons?WAITER: We give them a better kind of Indian food, which does not irritate their intestinal tracts.ME: Can you give me the better kind?WAITER: Yes, of course. Since you asked in my language, I feel more comfortable accommodating you.ME: Thank you.WAITER: Please don’t tell your American friends about the option to get Indian food that won’t make them sick.ME: Of course I won’t tell them. It’ll be our little secret.I'm starting those Hindi lessons tomorrow.