Good Things Happen in Small Doses

Summary: Indians seem to do things more, but less (as compared to Americans). More frequently, but less quantity each time. There are many reasons for this, which often include the practical and the psychological.

One thing I’ve noticed here is that, compared to the U.S., things tend to happen more frequently, but in smaller doses. I’ve seen this happen across many different aspects of life:

Food

• Folks tend to buy fruits and vegetables on a per-meal or per-day basis. The phal and saabzi wallahs cart their vegetables around the neighborhood all day for this purpose.
  
• Cooking is done per meal. The concept of mass weekend cooking escapades, the outputs of which are frozen and eaten throughout the week, is foreign and, for lack of a better word, disgusting.
  
• Chai or coffee is drank several times a day (at least twice), but in small (espresso-sized) cups. A venti coffee is unthinkable.
  
• Milk is delivered to local shops several times throughout the day. (Possibly because many of the local stores do not have refrigerators?)

Daily Necessities

• Trash gets collected daily, not weekly. This is done by guys on bicycles pulling attached wooden carts.
  
• Day-to-day shopping is mainly done at your neighborhood store, not at a big box store (e.g., Walmart). People buy things as needed, generally in smaller quantities, more frequently. (The idea of “stocking up” isn’t as prevalent, presumably because of lack of storage space.)
  
• Laundry also seems to be done more frequently here than in the States.

Work

• The workday typically runs from around 10-5 pm, 6 days a week (instead of 9-5, 5 days a week). Admittedly, I also see men from well-off families working from about 10 am-10 pm, with extended breaks during the day.

Education

• Like the workday, schools typically operate 6 days a week, for shorter hours each day.
  
• School holidays are spread throughout the year (because of religious festivals), so students tend to have shorter “long vacations” (e.g., summer and winter).
  
• Schools tend to be smaller, but there are more of them. For example, each village or two has a school, but these schools tend to be smaller operations. This is true also for graduate schools, such as the business school that recently opened in our neighborhood but simply looks like a glorified house.

Each item has its own explanation, but I have some general hypotheses about common reasons behind these differences. Often, the practical reasons are intertwined with inherent differences in the psyches of the two cultures.

Time: The American psyche is always “go-go-go,” and Americans seem to always be short on time. They like doing being time-efficient, and making one weekly Trader Joe’s run rather than daily shopping trips. Indians, on the other hand, don’t seem as concerned about time (as evident by frequent train delays). Also, I believe shorter work and school hours allow for more time with the family each day.

Space: Even if Indians were to buy in bulk, where would they store it? Homes generally aren’t that big, and the poorer folks certainly don’t have luxuries like refrigerators. Also, from the supplier perspective, it’s also much easier to find a small plot of land than a big one (for stores, schools, etc.).

Transportation: Logistically, locals often travel by autorickshaws, motorcycles, etc. Buying in bulk also means you have to carry it all home; for women who do most of the shopping, this is no easy task if you do not own or drive a car.

Scale: India is a big, crowded place, with a lot of people living in close quarters. The practicalities of stockpiling things, whether they be tasks, food, trash, etc., would require an enormous scale to execute. Not only that, but such consolidation would also result in fewer jobs.

Quality: Quality is often better when things happen frequently. Food is fresher, trash hasn’t rotted, etc.

Money: Buying or building in bulk requires a certain amount of disposable income. This is rare in India, where the majority of folks are living day-to-day. Shopping at big box stores also isn’t necessarily cheaper, though it does give you more options.

Oftentimes, it’s a matter of convenience. The Indian lifestyle dictates that increased frequency but smaller scale is the more convenient option, whereas the American lifestyle dictates that bigger but less frequent is often more convenient. However, while the Indian culture is strong, I do see it moving toward the American way of life, as evident in the emergence and growing popularity of big box Walmart-like chains such as Big Bazaar.

Come to think about it, the only things Indians generally stockpile are things we take for granted in the U.S.: electricity and water.