Other than the Sri Aurobindo group (which dominates Pondicherry), this town is full of French people. The first morning I was here, I ate breakfast at a little cafe. The only other people in the cafe were speaking French. They were sitting at their own table, and were a very eclectic, "cool" group. There was an older French guy with silver hair in a tight tank top; a young, chic blonde girl in a black dress; an older French lady; a very classy looking older Indian woman; and an older Indian man with shoulder-length grey hair, dressed in a tight white tank top and white, flowing linen pants. They were all smoking, drinking coffee and laughing...I was like, wow, this is definitely different than Nagapattinam!
Actually, this is the first place I have been to in India where I feel like I would be better off knowing French than English. I walked into a corner market and wanted to know the price of a roll of toilet paper. I asked the women in English while pointing to what I wanted. She said, " Trent-cinq". My french is rusty, so I wanted to double check. "Thirty five?" (Yes, I realize she didn't speak English...I just said it, ok!) She said, slower and louder, "Trent...Cinq". I said, in a worried voice, "Thirty five?" She said, "TRENT.......CINQ". She wasn't angry, she just couldn't believe my stupidity! Anyway, this is definitely a side of India I have never seen before!
The good thing about the French influence is all the food...there is lots of french food around, and salads and delicious things like that. It is expensive, though...and there are lots of expensive art galleries and furniture shops around...but even with all of this, it is still, unmistakeably India.
It has been nice while it lasted, but I am actually happy to get back to my Idlis and dosa. I like Indian food much more than French food!
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