Sharing her views on cultural differences, Kristen Fischer said meals mark the end of the evening in India, while in the US, it marks the beginning of the evening.
American influencer Kristen Fischer, who has been staying in New Delhi with her family for the past few years, shared “one of the biggest cultural challenges” she faced in India: adapting to the country’s approach to dinner parties.
In the US, Fischer said she was used to the culture of food being served as soon as the guests arrived and hanging out later. “Now in India, it’s the opposite. In India, people are expected to hang out first, and at the end of the evening, when it’s time to go home, that’s when you have your meal together,” she said in the video shared on Instagram.
Fischer shared the video on the social media platform, saying, “This was, and still is, the hardest cultural difference for me coming to India.”
Since she used to get food right after arriving at someone’s home for dinner, Fischer said that in India, she had to sit “hungry and wonder when the food would be served.”
“Imagine my surprise when people do not show up on time, as I expect, and do not want to eat right away like I am used to. In India, the conversation is before the meal and in America, the conversation is after the meal,” Fischer wrote.
She “honestly” still doesn’t understand how “you can serve food to guests hours after they arrive”.
“Wouldn’t the food be cold? Or I would have to be in the kitchen making the food the whole time and not enjoying being with my guests. I try my best to be as Indian as possible, but this is one way I cannot adjust,” she shared.
