My French-Indian 6 year old boy on brushing teeth:

• Him: No Mama, I don’t brush my teeth in the evening but in the morning, like papa!
• Me: But how do you do in France?
• Him: Easy, in France I brush with papi in the evening…
• Me : Ok, ok, but today can you brush in the evening please?
• Him (after 5 minutes): Mama, it’s amazing! I used the toothpaste you brought back from Paris and I felt like I was at Papi-Mamie’s house!!

My French-Indian 6 year old boy on donuts:

He is coloring with his Indian friends his drawing book on “Indian heritage”; he is right now at the South Indian dishes page:

• Him: Look, I finished the donut!
• His friends: Hahaha but it’s not a donut, it’s a vada!

The very next day, he’s watching an American movie, Baby's day out, with us:

• Him: Look, the man is eating a vada!
• His father: It’s not a vada, it’s a donut!
• Him : …

My French-Indian 6 year old boy on female hair:

• Me (looking at my legs): Hey, it’s crazy how fast hair grows in rainy / wet weather. It’s time to take it off.
• Him (looking at my legs): But there is no hair! Women don’t have hair on their legs.
• Me: Oh yes honey, they do.
• Him: But I’ve never seen it, especially on French women.
• Me: And about Indian women?
• Him (thinks hard but finds nothing to say)

I must say that it is still quite unusual to see the legs of Indian women – except in westernized urban areas. For others, revealing an ankle is immodest… So no exposure, no hair removal! (Sometimes you catch a glimpse of a forest under a salwar – it is an observation, I am not making fun, I think everyone does what they want with their body. I am even a little angry to whoever decided that we should not have body hair, what pain…) On the other hand, they happily shave their arms. An ex had suggested me to visit the salon to get rid of my poor blond hair (which is really not a French habit).