Customs, traditions, and everyday life.Still the same: India, Nepal, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore.It seems to me that Asians (except the Japanese) generally try not to complicate their lives with elaborate, incomprehensible rituals and thoughts.
Everything here is simple, logical, and follows the path of least resistance.
There is a shortage of resources, primarily electricity. Therefore,
daylight is used to the maximum: waking up at dawn – 4-5 am, going to bed at sunset or a little later – 9-10 pm. During the day – a siesta, because it's hot, and no one wants to get heatstroke. The daily routine may vary depending on the country, time zone, and season, but this is the general trend.
It's hot and humid – all sorts of infections and parasites develop very quickly. Therefore:
1)
water from a bottle is drunk without touching the lip of the bottle (almost always), and from a cup – without touching the edge (if possible; and not in all countries);
2)
food is not stored for long: cooked – eaten. Even beggars won't touch "yesterday's" food;
3)
food is usually spicy (and the sauces served with it are even spicier), often with the addition of ginger, onion, or garlic (although, on the other hand, Krishnaites and Vaishnavites do not eat onions and garlic – religion forbids it);
4)
personal hygiene is carefully observed, and all sorts of rules are followed regarding how and what to eat (they differ among different nations, but the rules for all are designed to prevent any infection).
Cooking food at home is usually more expensive and time-consuming than buying it at a food court or from a street vendor. After all, not everyone has refrigerators, and I haven't seen any gas mains here – locals use gas cylinders or firewood, and electricity (if the stove is electric) is an expensive luxury and is not always available. Therefore,
"street food" thrives – it is cheap, tasty, and available on every corner. I often see locals buying and taking home in ordinary plastic bags: soup, tea, drinks, flatbreads, meat, anything... Usually, spicy sauces are put in separate bags, but there are exceptions.
I will tell you more about personal hygiene, although it is clear in general terms, I think.
It's very hot. Therefore, in the worst case, people take a shower twice a day. In the best case – even more :)
I have only seen bathtubs in hotels, and not in all of them.
Toilets are usually equipped with a
hygienic shower or a bucket of water and a ladle. Locals do not use toilet paper. Ablutions are traditionally performed with the left hand.
Accordingly, the left hand is considered unclean and is only suitable for this and for handling shoes. Therefore, eating with the left hand causes such shock among locals.
The right hand, on the contrary, is considered clean.This applies to India, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. To a lesser extent, to other countries. It hardly applies to China and Singapore, although considering the neighboring countries... In Singapore, I have not been given money with my left hand even once.
Contrary to the belief that Indians are a dirty nation,
they keep their homes clean. As do Nepalese and others to whose homes I managed to get invited.
Streets and bodies of water are less fortunate. The lack of trash cans and
the habit of locals to spit and throw garbage right at their feet turns the streets of Asian countries into some kind of Hell. But if in India and Nepal this can probably be explained by the consequences of the caste system, where cleaning garbage is the lot of the untouchables, then I don't know why things are so bad in other countries.
They are now trying to combat this: in India and Nepal, there are government programs to install trash cans and raise the status of cleaners, in Singapore – crazy fines, video surveillance, and trash cans on every corner, in other countries, I suspect, they are also doing something about it. But in general, Asia remains Asia, and the first trip here often causes a cultural shock even for a theoretically prepared person. However, in tourist areas, street cleaning is usually good, if you only go there and don't turn anywhere
That's exactly the kind of flatbread I eat with my left hand.
