event paper

Running Head: Indian Intercultural Event

INDIAN INTERCULTURAL EVENT 2

Indian Intercultural Event

Student’s Name

School Affiliations

AN INDIAN CULTURAL EVENT.

Intercultural interaction

The choice multicultural place I chose for my study is the ‘Taste of India’ restaurant that is located in Woodland Hill in Los Angeles. This is a restaurant offering food of Indian decent and heritage. Therefore, my place of interest was composed mostly of people of Indian heritage or ones who are familiar with or interested in the Indian culture, traditions and lifestyles. Being a restaurant concentrating with Indian heritage food, it was expected that the predominant audience will be Indians -business men, students and residents of Indian descent or heritage.

This can be considered to be a festival of some type or a cultural gathering. The food served here is predominantly Indian with mostly Indian customers and service providers. Culturally affiliated restaurant in America are a common phenomenon. They act as meeting points and areas of contact for people of the same culture. They recreate a home-like atmosphere that helps people acquire a nostalgic home-like experience. From Chinese restaurants to French affiliated eateries, culturally alluding restaurants are a familiar occurrence.

In the restaurant, I was surrounded by people of Indian decent or those affiliated to the country and culture in one way of the other. I was served by an Indian waitress who very humbly and respectfully presented me with a menu. I could recognize some of the food items listed in the menu. They involved a marriage of local American dishes prepared with a blend of Indian cooking. I had trouble trying to communicate effectively with the particular waitress as she was not efficiently good at the English language. I had little contact with other customers and felt somehow out of place. The prevalent language of communication among the customers was Indian and this contributed to me being left out. More interaction was curtailed by the language barrier.

Some menu items had Indian terms that I couldn’t comprehend. The waiting service was friendly and at times over-courteous, understandably as it’s a job requirement. I ordered a fully unfamiliar Indian dish out of curiosity and desire to experiment with a different culture’s food ('Culture' and 'Communication' in Intercultural Communication, 2009). Apparently, the food served required one to use hands to eat. This was apparently to give it an authentic feel. This is strange to me as I am used to using spoons and other cutleries while eating. I could observe some people make short prayers before digging in, and the fact that I didn’t make one made me feel as an outcast. However, some moments were pleasant and exciting. Being around people of a different culture had me feeling like I was in a new country all the same. The food was artistically presented and serving plates and bowl artistically designed and decorated. I loved the atmosphere and environment. The foods, despite the difficulty learning how to eat, was delicious and a new experience after all. The people were friendly and happy, and sharing a moment with them in their most close-to-home avenue was eye opening and exciting. The communication challenge helped me make effort to pass through information without necessarily using words or a familiar language (Ramesh N. Rao, 2015).

Despite the few awkward moments prompted by language barrier and uncommon traditions, the experience was great and opened me up to the Indian culture raising in me a desire to learn more.

Attached below is the picture of a menu from the restaurant.

References

'Culture' and 'Communication' in Intercultural Communication. (2009). Tandfonline. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13825570902907185?src=recsys Ramesh N. Rao, A. T. (2015). Intercultural Communication: The Indian Context. SAGE Publications Indi.