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CULTURE
Nigeria Touched Me, Literally
Sometimes a culture embraces you instead of the other way around
I am not a touchy-feely guy. We didn’t go much for hugs and similar forms of affection in my family. But as I started traveling around the country to study and work, I saw that other Indian cultures had no problem getting physical.
During a stint selling salt and ketchup in Punjab, I was regularly subjected to bear hugs from my customers. I never really got used to it —hugging just didn’t come naturally to me. Maybe the Punjabis sensed my reluctance too. That’s probably one reason why I didn’t hit my monthly sales targets.
I came up with a theory to explain this difference. The north of India tends to be colder and drier. Embracing someone can be a source of warmth, literally.
The south where I grew up is tropical and humid. People are often damp. Nobody wants a clammy hug.
I lived with this quackery till I moved to Nigeria to sell milk. Canned evaporated milk*, sure. But milk nonetheless.
*Powdered milk and evaporated milk were the most consumed forms of milk in Nigeria, possibly because they did not need refrigeration and had a long shelf life.
