A Game of Snakes and Rat-turds

Ahmednagar, India

After a long day at work, I decided to treat myself … I had a sweet tooth! But not just for anything, for Indian sweets, which if you have never had them are usually no more than cooked grain, sugar and ghee (i.e. pure liquid fat).

Since I was in a particularly indulgent mood, I opted to satiate my cravings at the “best sweet shop in town.” After arrival, I nibbled here and there, systematically choosing the items I would gorge upon. After the identification process was complete, I was ready to select the weapons with which would slay my sweet tooth. Although just before I could wield them, my eyes caught a bizarre sight … two black snakes poking out from under the counter.

“Strange … those don’t look like any snakes I’ve ever seen before.”

Indeed, they were unlike any snakes I had ever seen … mainly since they were not snakes. Upon a second look, it became painfully clear that I was literally looking at things the wrong way round. What appeared to be two snakes’ heads were actually two rats’ tails.

Upon pointing this out to the server behind the counter, I received the English equivalent of “meh” and a shoulder shrug. This would not be the first time I have come across such an attitude, since as one enlightened foreigner pointed out: “if people knew (or perhaps more accurately, cared) about how food was prepared, all of India would go hungry.” Although, it could also be possible that caring is a luxury, but then again this was supposedly the “best” sweet shop.

Nonetheless, all of the excitement did not stop me from buying some for the road … in fact, it’s probably the rat feces which make it the best in town!