With the rising popularity of first-generation Indian superstars such as Aziz Ansari and Superwoman (aka Lilly Singh), we are becoming known as more than the dorky, socially inept sidekick. Whether you want to become a doctor, an engineer, an MBA, or the next Mindy Kaling, here's a list you'll surely be able to relate to if you're an "ABCD."
1. You have told your non-Indian friends that the "chai tea latte" from Starbucks isn't real chai. You may have also explained that "chai tea" is redundant.
2. You may not know who won the Oscars, but you know all about the Filmfare awards.
3. The first movie you saw in theaters has an abbreviation. It's also known for its songs and flash-mob dance routines. (DDLJ, K3G, etc.)
4. You call your friends' parents "aunty" and "uncle," and anyone remotely related to you is your cousin. You don't even ask how they're related to you-- if your mother says they're your cousin, they just are.
5. Your idea of a "wedding dress" is anything but white. It usually involves heavy embroidery, bright colors, and a copious amount of gold jewelry.
6. You have memorized Prem Jyotish's phone number for all of your astrology and numerology needs; you've also considered using it during finals week.
7. You have opened a container of yogurt and found daal inside. Usually, these are leftovers from a recent family party, because wasting food is a sin.
8. You also know that the only sin greater than wasting food is buying something without a coupon.
9. You have a salwar-kameez (or kurta-pyjama) for every occasion-- yet every time you go to India, you come back with a bag full of brand-new Indian clothes.
10. Whenever you come home from college, you find comfort in the types of Indian food that you were previously forced to eat. Usually, you take some of it with you when you go back to college, where its smell haunts your residence hall floor for at least a week.
11. When your family goes on a road trip, you make sure to fill the trunk of your Honda or Toyota with Indian snacks so that you don't have to spend money on food.
12. You have secretly become addicted to watching a melodramatic daily Indian soap opera that revolves around an evil mother-in-law, a catastrophe of overcooked rice, and at least one character reincarnation. Of course, let's not forget the cringe-inducing visual and sound effects.
13. If a relative gives you money, you have to refuse it at least the standard three times, even though you know you'll end up accepting it.
14. Whenever you're invited to a family party, you show up two hours late--and are still the first one to arrive.
15. You can make as many jokes about Indians as you want, but you'll always be the first one to say that "tech support" isn't all we're good for.
