Who Are These Curry-Smelling Brown People?

For those who are still confused about Desis, or brown people from South Asia here are quick tips that will help you understand us. If you can, please give me your feedback.

Stove is covered with aluminum foil

To avoid cleaning the stove often, the moms usually cover the entire stove, the metallic parts, with foil.

The Dishwasher is used a dish rack

Since the cupboards are occupied with spices the dishwasher is the only place to put clean dishes and it's never used to wash dishes.

You use grocery bags to hold garbage

We could say we recycle a lot, and we like to save money, so we use plastic grocery bags as small trash bags.

You will always leave your shoes at the door

Since most Desis are either Hindus or Muslims the house is usually used as a praying sanctuary and it's a religious ground for praying during praying times. Therefore, the floor must be cleaned and whosoever enters the house must take his or her shoes off.

Never order room service

Whenever Desis stay at a hotel, they will never use room service for it costs more.

Desis own a rice cooker and pressure cooker

We love rice! We eat rice with almost everything so a rice cooker is a must. And we use pressure cookers to save gas while cooking.

Desis major in the fields of engineering, medicine, or law

Yeah that's a common thing with us Desis. My father is an engineer and I'm in the path of the medical field.

Desis live with parents till marriage

That is totally normal and parents prefer it that way. Also, the children likes it too since it's freeloading off of the parents.

Parents will call and ask if you've eaten, even if it's midnight

This usually goes favoring first born sons, the mothers will call their sons often and ask if they've eaten when they are out.

Parents send money to South Asia

We all have relatives back home and or parents will send money constantly to help them in business or in medical bills or for education. I know my father sent tens of thousands of dollars back to Bangladesh.

Desis have joined a CD club at least once

I remember signing up with BMG music because it was $1 per CD. After two years I cancelled the service to avoid collection records on my credit file. Desis do it cause we first think we got a great deal then we find out that we have to buy a CD at regular price and curse out the CD company.

Desis never discuss their love life or sex with their parents

This is a big NO in our society. Parents will say they don't know what sex is and yet there are 1.5 billion people in South Asia, I wonder why. In Bollywood movies they show Desi youth saying "I love this girl or that guy" but in reality we never tell our parents if we're in love with someone.

Desi parents are never happy with their children's grades

Even if you get A they will demand something higher or they'll ask you why didn't you get an A+ or why didn't get into the honor roll.

Desis call an older person whom they've never met before "uncle" or "auntie"

This is common in our society. Uncle is preferred over "mister" since it shows respect to one's elders.

The first thing a Desi adult will ask you is "where are your parents from?"

They ask this to see if they know anyone who is from your area or anything of that sort to find a connection to you.

When parents meet strangers and talk for a few minutes, you find you're talking to a distant cousin.

I have nearly a 100 first cousins in my family, and I only know 10 of them. I can't imagine how many second or third cousins, but I know they are spread all over in Bangladesh, UK, Saudi Arabia, and in India.

Desi parents don't realize phone connections to foreign have advanced

When they call back home in South Asia, Desi parents scream at the top of their lungs just so the person in the other end would be able to hear them.

When Desi fathers get together they talk politics

Even if they are in USA and they have USA citizenship, they will still talk about the politics of South Asia; usually Bangladeshi or Pakistani politics.

Desi moms grow their own vegetables

This is very common with Desis; mothers usually grow tomatoes, peppers, etc. in the backyard because they like to cook fresh veggies for better taste in their cooking.

Desis rely only on foreign cars

No matter what you will see 99% of all Desis around your area driving a Toyota Camry, a Toyota Corolla, a Honda Accord, or a Honda Civic. If you see a trail of different Camrys, Corollas, Civics and Accords in the road, you know they are going to a brown people convention or a Desi party.

There's a pungent smell of spices in Desi homes

My friend from Palestine complains about how my clothes, car, and house smells like curry. Eh, we can't help is we love our curry.

Desi parents tie up their luggage with rope while traveling back to Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Even after 18 years of living in the USA, my mom still took a box to Bangladesh and tied rope around it.

Whenever Desis are invited at a friend's new house they will take a quick tour of the house

When a person buys a new house, it's customary to present his relatives and friends to give them a nice quick tour of the house.

Marriage is a big issue with Desis

Most to all young Desis are worried to choose between love marriage and arranged marriage. Usually their parents prefer arranged marriage since it's through the marriage. No matter what, in every Desi circle of friends, the conversation of marriage will come about.