Here are our three questions of the week. If any of these touch on your experience in India, let us know! And don’t hesitate to ask us anything – that’s what we’re here for!FAQs About Living in India:
Are all Indians vegetarian?
Most Hindus are vegetarians. The Hindu religion prohibits eating beef for the historical reason that agriculture was the mainstay of most Indians, and cows formed the backbone of the agricultural community. With changing times, however, there are many Hindus who do eat meat, though some will reserve a special meat-free day of the week. Meat-eating is far more prevalent in the north of India, where there is a long tradition of Mughal-inspired cooking. Southern India has developed its own unique cuisine, which contains vegetables, lentils and spices that many visitors won’t have come across before. By the way, visitors to India may be asked if they would like ‘veg’ or ‘non-veg’ when offered meals. ‘Non-veg’, of course, contains meat.<<More FAQs About Living in India
FAQs About Doing Business in India:
Given the caste system still exists in India, how does this impact the way we interact with our employees?
The caste system doesn’t impact how Westerners interact with their staff, as it shouldn’t be on your radar screen at all. Discriminating against anyone because of their caste is against the law, and caste issues in the urban workplace, where people of all castes meet for business or socially, are minimal. If you do come across the caste system in your workplace, ignore it and continue treating people as equals as you always do.
<<More FAQs About Doing Business in India
FAQs Asked by Indians About Expats
Why do expats swear so much?
To the Indian ear, it can be startling to hear expats using profanities, for example words such as ‘bloody’, in regular conversation. Swearing is far more commonplace in everyday language in the West than many Indians may realize, and is used to express frustration, anger or surprise, but also to convey humour and emotion. Words that Indians may consider taboo may have less impact in the expat’s home country. Expats are often unaware that foul language, however casually used or meant, is greatly resented in India. Indians should deal with deliberate abusive language by saying “I don’t appreciate you saying that,” rather directly, and then let it pass.
