Everything in Kochi felt different. It didn’t feel like we were in India anymore. The climate, the people and the atmosphere felt more like somewhere in Southeast Asia. While we were in Mumbai, we had spent some time with Leo’s good friend who is from Kerala. A had given us a preview of how different Keralans are from other Indians. In particular, he said something that got us really excited, something about the food. In Kerala, you can find any kind of meat that you want – beef, lamb, chicken and to a lesser extent, pork.
Food is the truest reflection of a place and its people. In the Mara, the traditional Maasai diet consisted only of beef. Beyond just food for the Maasai, cows occupy a central place in their identity and lives. For many Maasai even today, cows provide for all of their needs such that the size of a Maasai’s herd of cattle represents his wealth. We once asked David, our guide in Kenya, if he would rather have cows or cash. Without hesitation, he picked cows because to the Maasai, cows are more valuable. In life, cows can provide food – meat, milk, blood – and can reproduce to grow wealth. In death, every part of the cow can be used – meat, skin, horn and hooves. On the other hand, cash is just a piece of paper.
Unlike the rest of India, a variety of meat is available in Kerala, with the reason being central to the identity of Keralans. Over dinner hosted at his home in Mumbai, A who is from Kerala, proudly told us that Kerala is not like any other Indian state and proceeded to tell us exactly why. It is highly educated with a 100% literacy rate, compared to India’s 86%. It ranks at the top of the country in terms of key human development indicators, including high life expectancy, low infant mortality, good access to clean drinking water, excellent health services, etc. To our surprise, Kerala’s politics is heavily left-leaning with an elected communist majority in government. Lastly, A made sure we understood that the religion of Kerala was not only Hindu like the rest of India. Kerala was home to almost an equal number of Muslims plus Christians compared to Hindus. Despite different religions living in the same community, there is very little religious extremism and religious violence. In other word, Keralans get along with each other and are highly tolerant. With a mix of Hindus, Muslims and Christians that actually like each other and with half the population (Muslims and Christians) already eating meat, it is not so difficult to understand that even most of the Hindus in Kerala consume meat. In fact, 95% of Keralans are non-vegetarian, thus the availability of all different kinds of meat.
We were so excited to be in Kerala. How could we not love a place that calls itself “God’s own country”. Kerala’s motto refers to the myth explaining Kerala’s creation by Lord Parshuram who threw his axe into the sea to create the land that became known as Kerala.
We arrived in Kochi late at night and made it to our Airbnb which was located in the Cochin Yacht Club. The night that we arrived was a Sunday and as we drove through the neighborhood, the cars stood at a standstill because the local Catholic church had some religious festivities underway. There was music, street vendors and what sounded like a sermon being broadcast over the loudspeaker. I wasn’t sure if this was just the regular church service held at night or a special event. We opened the window to watch the festivities underway and were hit by the humid tropical air.
It took a while but we finally made it to the Airbnb that was located in a villa enclave. Each house was hidden behind trees and heavy metal gates. We opened the gate to our house and used the passcode to retrieve a key. We walked into the house and were met with a painting of Jesus and the Last Supper.
The home was fitted out with every modern amenity we could hope for. We promptly turned on the air-conditioning to cut through the humidity in the air. The kitchen looked like a modern Western kitchen with a dishwasher and two ovens. The only thing that might be considered out of place, but has actually become my favorite feature fixture – a hand-washing sink. Behind the Western kitchen was a wet kitchen where “dirty cooking” was supposed to be done, as instructed by the host. The living room had lots of comfy seating.
Upstairs, there was a central area where Leo and RY exercised each night in preparation for their trip to climb Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia, just a couple weeks ago. Each of the bedrooms were clean, comfy and had their own bathrooms.
This was by far my favorite Airbnb that we stayed at in India. Whenever we arrive at a good Airbnb, we all enjoy spending more time at home. Naturally, we are homebodies and we all prefer hanging out, cooking and being at home. When the space is nice, the girls will set up their miniature world of toys and start playing and the boys will get out the crafting materials and make something. Then the girls might join the boys and craft something side-by-side or use the art materials to paint or draw. I think that is their way of settling in. We also spent a lot of time catching up on our learning. A comfortable space where each of us can spread out on tables, couches and beds is conducive to learning.
The first thing that I did after we got comfortable was look on the food delivery app, Zomato, and see what delivery options we had. Sugar cane juice and Chinese food caught my eye. Within 20 minutes, we had 3 bottles of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice delivered to the door, one original flavor, one with mint and one with lemon. We were so eager to try it, we didn’t even wait for it to chill in the refrigerator. In another fifteen minutes, a feast of Chinese food arrived and I laid it out on the table. Throughout India, we had constantly been craving East Asian food. I usually prefer Korean and Japanese food when we are in a foreign country because I assume the Chinese food will be disappointing. But on this night, all of us appreciated the fried rice, fried dumplings, sticky sauce coated meat and stir-fried broccoli. The kids were overjoyed that none of it was spicy.
So far, everything in Kochi had exceeded our expectations. Just eight hours after saying goodbye to Rajasthan and the Thar Desert, we couldn’t have imagined that we would be happily eating Chinese food delivery in the best Airbnb in India. After we finished eating and we were tidying up, I smiled with satisfaction knowing that just beside the dining table was the gleaming sink, purpose-built for hand-washing, and I couldn’t wait to use it. There wasn’t much more that we could ask for.
