Story of an English traveler in Delhi
Psychology or awareness problem? The outcome is the same, he was rubbed.

I came around this interesting story of an English traveler in India.

The guy was trying to get a rickshaw that spoke English at the door of his hostel. Soon he gets one and an Indian English speaking lad of a certain age intercepted him:

“Sorry Sir, can I go with you? Will share the price of the run.”
It’s rare that I saved money on such a deal. “Yeah sure.”

Then they get in and drove down in Delhi’s streets and alleys. Our traveler, we’ll call him John, had remarked that the rickshaw was always stopped. The causes were always rickshaw malfunctions.

Soon they were in a dark alley of the old Delhi. One of the wheels had problem and forced the rickshaw to stop. All around there were just beggars, wearing drab and dusky clothes, sleeping near pestilential smelling detritus.

I was checking for the situation; no one was moving, my rickshaw companion was waiting after the driver, smiling. I get out of the rickshaw; I give 10 rupees to the driver.
“I’ll check for another rickshaw, thank for the run.”
“No, No!! I’ll repair the rickshaw soon; it’s just a little problem. No, don’t leave! Everything will be okay soon. Please!”
I tried to get another rickshaw; I seen no one; I was alone, with two Indians and a broken rickshaw in an somber alley of Old Delhi. I had nothing to do other than waiting and hoping. I seated back into the rickshaw.
My companion had just got out of his bag a bottle of water.
“In India, it’s in our tradition to share our food with our fellows. Take.”
“No thank, I’m not thirsty; thank a lot”
“No, no, take it, it’s in our traditions.”
“No, I don’t want it, thank a lot, but I don’t need it, thank”
Then he leaved me alone with his water.
I saw him getting cookies out of his dam bag.
“In our country, we are not rich, we don’t have many food, but we share our food with our fellows, take this cookie, it’s in our tradition to share.”
“No thank, I really don’t want this cookie, thank.”
“No, get it, it’s in our tradition! You can’t offend it like this!”
Then, knowing that it was not the thing to do, I don’t know why but I got the cookie and putted it in my throat. I knew that I was in trouble when the cookie was in my stomach. I feel asleep, my head had fallen on a metal bar on my side, and I was KO.
Some times later, I was lying in a ruin; dry blood in my hairs and sores all around the body. I didn’t know where and what was the time. I wasn’t in pain… I was… in another world…

The story is talking by itself. Everybody knows that they need to be aware of drugged food. Don’t take food from strangers; my mother said to me when I was young. This advice is good anywhere in the world even in your neighborhood.

What is interesting in this story is the cultural side of it. You are a foreigner; you travel to a new country to meet new people and cultures. Then what you do in this situation? You don’t want to obfuscate them. You are here to learn their habits. You started with this minding, then, going against it is not coherent. You know that you can be in troubles, but your mind seem to bypass your awareness. This situation is more a question of psychology then a question of awareness; you need to be consistent with your thoughts. It can seem stupid but it’s the reality. Many of these tricks can be used by marketing peoples. An excellent book on the subject is Influence: Science and Practice by Robert B. Cialdini.

Read the story, ask you what would be your reaction in this situation and hope that it will really be your if the situation arise.