Ants and Aunties
Tags: Humour, India, Lucknow, Personal experience, travel
Punjabi burfi wrapped in newspaper
During my first trip to India, I spent a week in Lucknow with the mother of one of my friends from London. I was told to refer to her as Aunty, a general term used when speaking to older women in India. She was an elderly lady, frail in body but not in spirit; lively, entertaining and commanding.
Lucknow Aunty (as I have since come to think of her) had a home full of people, with a cook and her family, a driver and six hearing-impaired children that she housed and tutored. Nevertheless, I was given a nice room on the top floor, with plenty of space and peace.
I enjoyed her company so much that I wanted to visit her again on a subsequent trip to India. I called to make the arrangements and was told that she would love to see me again but that she had turned the upstairs into a rooming house for single men and that it would be completely inappropriate for me to stay up there with them around. Instead, she arranged for me to stay with her brother and his wife, who also lived in Lucknow.
Since I was heading to Lucknow in Andhra Pradesh from Chandigarh in Punjab and Haryana, I thought it would be nice to buy a box of Punjabi sweets to take for the children – a treat that they would probably never have, otherwise. I bought 2kg of Punjabi sweets, which were placed in a big, cardboard box, held shut by two thin rubber bands. I packed the box carefully in my backpack, surrounding it with soft items to keep it from getting too crushed, and left for the train station.
After an eleven-hour train journey, stuck in a tiny seat between two Indian women who insisted on holding a conversation across me but refusing to trade seats with me, I finally arrived in Lucknow. Lucknow Aunty was there to greet me at the station and take me to her brother’s house, but by the time I arrived at Uncle’s home, it was quite late. We chatted for only a few minutes before Lucknow Aunty left and then everyone headed off to bed.
I’d been given a room with plenty of storage space, so I unpacked my bag and put everything away. The box of sweets was stored in the drawer of a bedside table for safe-keeping.
The next morning, I got up, had a shower and went downstairs to the breakfast table. Uncle and I sat, while Uncle’s-Wife Aunty cooked and served us our food, even going so far as to stand next to the table and keep watch in case either of us needed another helping from one of the dishes in front of us. (So much for her Masters Degree in Marine Biology… but that’s a different story and it isn’t mine to tell.)
After breakfast, I went back to my room to get the box of sweets out of the drawer so I wouldn’t forget to take them to Lucknow Aunty’s that evening. It was full of ants – hundreds of them, it seemed. There were piles of sugary goodness all over the inside of the box and ants crawling in and out of a complex series of tunnels they’d made through the sweets. I suspected that they were Punjabi ants because of the amount of damage that had been done. Surely there hadn’t been enough time to get the word out for so many local ants to have arrived and built such a sophisticated system!
I took the box of sweets downstairs and showed it to Uncle’s-Wife Aunty. I didn’t speak Hindi and she didn’t speak much English, but the communication was clear enough – “My box of sweets is full of ants and I need to dispose of it and them somewhere.”.
Uncle’s-Wife Aunty gestured for me to follow her and we went outside, where she pointed at the low wall surrounding the property. She didn’t want a box full of ants in her kitchen garbage, which was perfectly understandable, so I put the box on the wall and the two of us went back inside.
A few hours later, as Uncle and I were leaving for Lucknow Aunty’s house, Uncle’s-Wife Aunty walked into the living room and handed me… the box of sweets. I looked at it in confusion and then, when the realisation that I was meant to take it kicked in, horror. Indians are famous for not wasting any food for any reason, but how could she possibly expect me to take a box full of ant-infested sweets to the children?
I protested, gesturing that I didn’t want to take the sweets with me because of the ants, but Uncle’s-Wife Aunty piped up with “I make ants gone. Sweets vegetarian again.”.
Sitting with Aunty
She hadn’t meant for the sweets to be thrown away outside; she only meant for the unbearable heat from the sun to kill them off or chase them away. She’d picked the dead ones out, scraping them from the tunnels with a sewing needle, and expected me to take them to the children.
There is no arguing with an older, educated Indian woman. They won’t stand for it. They know what’s right and you’ll do as you’re told. So I did.
Worse yet, I felt compelled to eat one of the re-vegetarianised sweets when Lucknow Aunty offered the box to me later at her house, looking at me over the top with a knowing smile.
KiLuMnaTi said:
Apr 17, 10 at 10:56This is my first visit here, but I will be back soon, because I really like the way you are writing, it is so simple and honest
Alexander said:
Jul 07, 11 at 06:30buy@viagra.online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Need cheap generic VIAGRA?…
Alexander7 said:
Jul 20, 11 at 08:13buy@generic.LEVITRA” rel=”nofollow”>……
Need cheap generic LEVITRA?…
LUKE said:
Jul 28, 11 at 19:31Buy@Coral.Calcium.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric pills…
LEWIS said:
Jul 29, 11 at 13:58Order@Cheap.Abana” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow it…
EDUARDO said:
Jul 29, 11 at 14:42Order@Discount.Abana” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric pills…
PERRY said:
Jul 29, 11 at 16:57Purchase@Discount.Abana” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buywithout prescription…
SALVADOR said:
Jul 29, 11 at 18:14Buy@Abilify.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric meds…
RONNIE said:
Jul 29, 11 at 18:52Buy@Cheap.Abilify” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow it…
BRANDON said:
Jul 29, 11 at 21:15Order@Discount.Abilify” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription…
EDUARDO said:
Jul 30, 11 at 04:53Purchase@Generic.Abilify.5mg.10mg.15mg.20mg.30mg” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buynow it…
GUY said:
Jul 30, 11 at 09:03Buy@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buywithout prescription…
ALFRED said:
Jul 30, 11 at 14:53Order@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow…
KIRK said:
Jul 30, 11 at 20:04Purchase@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow…
RUSSELL said:
Jul 31, 11 at 04:28Buy@Generic.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buywithout prescription…
ROLAND said:
Jul 31, 11 at 22:28Order@Coral.Calcium.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription…
TERRENCE said:
Aug 01, 11 at 10:23coral@calcium.is.it.safe” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyit now…
DUSTIN said:
Aug 02, 11 at 02:06Purchase@Generic.Abilify.5mg.10mg.15mg.20mg.30mg” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric drugs…
ANDREW said:
Aug 02, 11 at 04:06Buy@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow it…
ALFRED said:
Aug 02, 11 at 05:07Buy@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buyit now…
JAMES said:
Aug 02, 11 at 12:07Purchase@Coral.Calcium.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric meds…
PERRY said:
Aug 02, 11 at 13:16Purchase@Discount.Coral.Calcium” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric pills…
ROY said:
Aug 02, 11 at 14:24Get@Coral.Calcium.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buywithout prescription…
CLAUDE said:
Aug 03, 11 at 20:18Buy@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric drugs…
TRACY said:
Aug 03, 11 at 21:50Buy@Cheap.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buywithout prescription…
BRETT said:
Aug 03, 11 at 22:23where@can.i.purchase.max.acai” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow it…
RALPH said:
Aug 04, 11 at 00:43Buy@Discount.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric drugs…
DONALD said:
Aug 04, 11 at 02:25Order@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buyit now…
FELIX said:
Aug 04, 11 at 05:47Purchase@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buyit now…
WALLACE said:
Aug 04, 11 at 06:48Purchase@Acai.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric drugs…
BRADLEY said:
Aug 04, 11 at 21:40where@can.you.buy.acai.berry” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric drugs…
BRUCE said:
Aug 05, 11 at 13:47Purchase@Energy.Boost.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs…
SAM said:
Aug 05, 11 at 16:04Purchase@Discount.Energy.Boost” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buynow it…
KENNY said:
Aug 05, 11 at 17:06Cheap@Energy.Boost.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buynow it…
WILLIAM said:
Aug 05, 11 at 18:17Get@Energy.Boost.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric pills…
RUBEN said:
Aug 05, 11 at 20:34Buy@Cheap.Accupril” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric meds…
BILLY said:
Aug 06, 11 at 02:00Purchase@Accupril.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs…
CARL said:
Aug 07, 11 at 12:53Buy@Cheap.Aciphex” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric meds…
BOB said:
Aug 08, 11 at 06:53Order@Generic.Aciphex” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs…
ROY said:
Aug 11, 11 at 00:35Cheap@Actonel.Without.Prescription” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow it mou…
CLIFTON said:
Aug 11, 11 at 05:27Buy@Cheap.Actoplus.Met” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric meds qmo…
VICTOR said:
Aug 11, 11 at 08:15Purchase@Actoplus.Met.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric pills zdg…
DARYL said:
Aug 11, 11 at 13:51Order@Discount.Actos” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric drugs krg…
MARCUS said:
Aug 11, 11 at 17:40Buy@Generic.Actos” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow it vhx…
LUIS said:
Aug 12, 11 at 19:52Buy@Discount.Adalat” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buyit now oil…
LAWRENCE said:
Aug 12, 11 at 23:30Cheap@Adalat.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buywithout prescription dyo…
LLOYD said:
Aug 13, 11 at 01:38Buy@Cheap.Coral.Calcium” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buywithout prescription xiu…
JEREMIAH said:
Aug 13, 11 at 02:39Order@Coral.Calcium.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow it tly…
LEWIS said:
Aug 14, 11 at 09:54Buy@Discount.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs axm…
BRYAN said:
Aug 14, 11 at 13:05Order@Discount.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs nih…
GLENN said:
Aug 14, 11 at 15:23Purchase@Cheap.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription tao…
BRETT said:
Aug 14, 11 at 16:26Purchase@Discount.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buydrugs without prescription jlg…
MARION said:
Aug 14, 11 at 19:56Buy@Generic.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs mby…
JASON said:
Aug 14, 11 at 22:12Buy@Generic.Acai.Without.Prescription” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buywithout prescription ccw…
JERRY said:
Aug 15, 11 at 03:30Cheap@Generic.Acai” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buydrugs without prescription vrg…
RONALD said:
Aug 15, 11 at 09:07Purchase@Generic.Acai.500mg” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs itj…
VINCENT said:
Aug 15, 11 at 13:38Acai@500mg.Without.Prescription” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buynow it lmg…
JOEL said:
Aug 15, 11 at 19:21Order@Cheap.Energy.Boost” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription wkp…
MARION said:
Aug 15, 11 at 20:19Order@Discount.Energy.Boost” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription gdt…
WESLEY said:
Aug 16, 11 at 14:30Purchase@Accupril.Online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buywithout prescription yyn…
BRUCE said:
Aug 17, 11 at 01:57Buy@Accutane.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription jui…
VINCENT said:
Aug 17, 11 at 20:35Purchase@Accutane.Without.Prescription” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buyit now ojb…
MITCHELL said:
Aug 18, 11 at 12:19Order@Cheap.Aciphex” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buydrugs without prescription faj…
NEIL said:
Aug 21, 11 at 08:58Purchase@Discount.Acomplia” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buydrugs without prescription tdg…
MILTON said:
Aug 21, 11 at 14:05Buy@Actonel.Online” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buydrugs without prescription hak…
CARLOS said:
Aug 22, 11 at 01:00Purchase@Actonel.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric drugs vbr…
VINCENT said:
Aug 22, 11 at 02:19Purchase@Cheap.Actonel” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buydrugs without prescription xab…
AARON said:
Aug 24, 11 at 05:12Purchase@Advair.Without.Prescription” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buyno prescription jwi…
BILLY said:
Aug 25, 11 at 12:38Get@Aggrenox.Online” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow fjl…
RENE said:
Aug 25, 11 at 19:17Order@Cheap.Albenza” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow it sxk…
WENDELL said:
Aug 26, 11 at 16:21hair@growth.and.accutane” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buygeneric drugs…
EARL said:
Aug 26, 11 at 22:59calcium@coral.buy” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buydrugs without prescription…
ALFRED said:
Aug 27, 11 at 20:20aloe@ferox.gel.buy” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buynow it…
MICHAEL said:
Aug 27, 11 at 22:59altace@cough.buy” rel=”nofollow”>..…
Buynow…
BARRY said:
Aug 28, 11 at 09:40risperdal@vs.abilify” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Buygeneric drugs…
RICK said:
Aug 28, 11 at 13:41abilify@does.it.work” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric meds…
RICHARD said:
Aug 29, 11 at 01:19allegra@generic.purchase” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buynow…
gerard said:
Sep 16, 11 at 21:27……
Search music now US Charts…
JEFFERY said:
Oct 17, 11 at 09:42sleep aids and half-life…
Buy_it now…
LESTER said:
Oct 17, 11 at 11:23lung cancer survival rates…
Buy_generic meds…
TERRY said:
Oct 17, 11 at 13:03natural cures for atopic dermatitis eczema…
Buy_without prescription…
MAURICE said:
Oct 17, 11 at 14:43intravenous fluid heart rate…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
LESLIE said:
Oct 17, 11 at 16:23symptons of depression…
Buy_generic meds…
LANCE said:
Oct 17, 11 at 18:03does herpes rash come and go…
Buy_now it…
MARION said:
Oct 18, 11 at 15:19adhd drugs causing hallucinations…
Buy_generic meds…
JOHNNY said:
Oct 18, 11 at 20:19antidepressant drugs for cats…
Buy_generic drugs…
OSCAR said:
Oct 19, 11 at 09:39number of obese children in america…
Buy_generic meds…
DUSTIN said:
Oct 20, 11 at 13:40my rehab nursing clinical reflection…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
RONNIE said:
Oct 20, 11 at 15:20number of obese in this generation…
Buy_generic meds…
GREG said:
Oct 20, 11 at 17:00aspirin pain relief dog…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
ALEXANDER said:
Oct 21, 11 at 11:52drug alcohol prevention resilience…
Buy_it now…
LESLIE said:
Oct 21, 11 at 18:31best life diet…
Buy_no prescription…
FRANKLIN said:
Oct 22, 11 at 02:50effects of alcohol on amoxicillin…
Buy_generic meds…
JERRY said:
Oct 22, 11 at 12:51protonix vs aciphex…
Buy_generic drugs…
JIMMIE said:
Oct 23, 11 at 01:14spironolactone reduces height…
Buy_no prescription…
TYLER said:
Oct 23, 11 at 04:34abdominal hernia photos…
Buy_generic pills…
LEONARD said:
Oct 24, 11 at 16:05depression affects memory…
Buy_now it…
CLINTON said:
Oct 25, 11 at 04:12what age does menopause start…
Buy_it now…
ALFRED said:
Oct 25, 11 at 05:52green nerf ds lite armour…
Buy_generic pills…
TRAVIS said:
Oct 25, 11 at 07:31scott hall american cancer society…
Buy_generic pills…
IVAN said:
Oct 26, 11 at 01:51research being done to treat hiv…
Buy_generic pills…
PERRY said:
Oct 26, 11 at 13:32bmi chart for kids…
Buy_generic drugs…
NICHOLAS said:
Oct 26, 11 at 18:33buy cheap clomid…
Buy_it now…
ANDRE said:
Oct 27, 11 at 06:12serotonin natural sources…
Buy_generic meds…
CURTIS said:
Oct 27, 11 at 19:32osmotic behaviour of rbc in glucose…
Buy_generic pills…
JAMES said:
Oct 28, 11 at 13:51percy weston cancer cause cure book…
Buy_generic drugs…
WADE said:
Oct 28, 11 at 20:30planar warts…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
GEORGE said:
Oct 28, 11 at 22:11what is valtrex used for…
Buy_generic drugs…
MILTON said:
Oct 31, 11 at 10:09deadliest type of cancer…
Buy_generic pills…
STEPHEN said:
Oct 31, 11 at 23:29genie francis weight loss…
Buy_now…
EDWIN said:
Nov 01, 11 at 07:48zyrtec and drug tests…
Buy_generic meds…
KYLE said:
Nov 01, 11 at 14:29stop smoking phlegm…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
ERIC said:
Nov 01, 11 at 22:49viagra prostate removal…
Buy_generic drugs…
WALLACE said:
Nov 02, 11 at 15:29persistent nausea and stomach pain…
Buy_generic meds…
ENRIQUE said:
Nov 03, 11 at 03:09cordarone intravenous…
Buy_generic meds…
NELSON said:
Nov 03, 11 at 04:49respiratory infection humidity dry antibiotics avelox…
Buy_generic pills…
JUSTIN said:
Nov 03, 11 at 06:29find clomid cheap in us…
Buy_now…
BYRON said:
Nov 03, 11 at 20:35what foods anorexia eat…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
ROBERT said:
Nov 05, 11 at 11:55treatment of melanoma and vaginal cancer…
Buy_generic drugs…
CLIFTON said:
Nov 06, 11 at 06:14nexium pepsin ac…
Buy_generic drugs…
JEFFREY said:
Nov 07, 11 at 03:54washington university marfan losartan study…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
MICHAEL said:
Nov 07, 11 at 17:17will the recession become a depression…
Buy_without prescription…
JEREMIAH said:
Nov 07, 11 at 22:14teen girl 16 18.6 bmi…
Buy_generic drugs…
GUY said:
Nov 07, 11 at 23:55colon cancer systems…
Buy_now it…
JERRY said:
Nov 08, 11 at 06:34juliet’s on the spot acne treatment…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
HARVEY said:
Nov 08, 11 at 17:04acne scar and pit lamp…
Buy_generic drugs…
NATHAN said:
Nov 09, 11 at 18:28synephrine hcl diet pills…
Buy_generic pills…
ANDRE said:
Nov 10, 11 at 07:49neurontin and mood lability…
Buy_generic meds…
TROY said:
Nov 10, 11 at 12:49menses while on birth control pills…
Buy_generic drugs…
FRED said:
Nov 11, 11 at 05:28terry abbot…
Buy_generic drugs…
ALEX said:
Nov 11, 11 at 13:49food and drug regulatory…
Buy_it now…
RALPH said:
Nov 13, 11 at 09:09johns hopkins lung cancer…
Buy_drugs without prescription…
AARON said:
Nov 13, 11 at 15:48benicar hct and norvasc…
Buy_it now…
JEREMIAH said:
Nov 13, 11 at 19:09keynesian economics great depression…
Buy_generic drugs…
ARTURO said:
Nov 13, 11 at 22:28macon georgia drug court…
Buy_without prescription…
LAWRENCE said:
Nov 14, 11 at 01:48can iodine help thyroid function…
Buy_generic drugs…
NELSON said:
Nov 16, 11 at 07:26information about treatment for leg edema…
Buy_generic drugs…
DONALD said:
Nov 16, 11 at 22:26postnatal doctor visit costs…
Buy_generic drugs…
LANCE said:
Nov 17, 11 at 10:06dogs to detect cancer…
Buy_generic drugs…
JOHN said:
Dec 09, 11 at 20:39canadian@pharmacy.valtrex” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric meds…
BRETT said:
Dec 11, 11 at 00:36indications@for.use.of.atrovent” rel=”nofollow”>……
Buygeneric meds…