This post is a part of our International Voices column, written by international UT students & staff, for UT students & staff. Enjoy!
When I first landed in Austin, I felt that the clouds were so close to the ground that I could reach up and touch them. Since I was so excited for my arrival, it seemed to be a good sign for the adventure to come. Although the change to living here was not exactly easy, it is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had, full of adjustments big and small.
One of the major adjustments was the food. For the first few weeks of my time here I enjoyed the new food like pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and Chipotle (my favorite). I enjoyed all the new sights, smells, and especially tastes of the city. But, after some time I began to miss my Indian food a lot: the familiar taste of biryani and the comfort of my favorite fish curry. In the grocery store, even the foods that were available in India were given different names. I remember walking around the store and looking for “curd” when I realized that what I was really looking for was “yogurt.”
Finally, after a few months of exploring, I was able find some Indian restaurants and grocery stores in town. This was my little piece of home among all the culinary changes. From this, I was able to find out and discover so many different delicious varieties of food in Austin, which is a very different experience from the one that can be had in India. I can go all over the world by just walking down the Drag by campus. These many food choices reflect the huge variety of people