Chapter 363 - Spice Buffet

While in Arti's home, Bolin was faced with a huge dilemma; one, he had not gotten laid for more than a week and second, Arti's family wanted him to prove his worthiness through eating an entire table of spicy Indian food. Lastly, their two-week vacation was nearly over and Arti's parents kept delaying their wedding. 

Arti never told her family that they were living together in China. Thus, intimacy was out of the question. Bolin stayed in a hotel while Arti stayed with her family. 

Each time Arti came to the hotel to fetch him, either Arti's father or her older brother came with her. There was no opportunity to have alone time with his pickle. 

They were sitting in the dining table at Arti's home as her mother and grandmother prepared the food for Bolin. 

"Pickle, how could you do this to me?" Complained Bolin, whispering to her ear. He was not a fan of spicy food. There was only a certain level of spiciness that he could bear. 

They were seated next to each other and Arti only shrugged, before whispering back, "I'm sorry. This was my brother's idea. He kept insisting you would not survive in our family and that - that you would not even finish an entire plate of grandma's dishes."

"Here. While waiting for the main dishes, Arti. Get some food into that boy's stomach," said Arti's grandmother, handing a plate of fried snacks. 

Bolin cleared his throat and while pointing at one of the dishes, he asked, "What is that? Is that a corn dog?"

"That? That is Mirchi Vada. It's a green chilly filled with seasoned mashed potatoes  - but don't worry. It's not so spicy," said Arti. 

He instantly paled at the word chili. He pointed at a longer fried dish that seemed to be wrapped in egg rolls. "What about that?"

Arti tried to hold down her giggle before answering, "Chili sticks."

"I think I will go with the crepe, thank you, pickle," said Bolin, pointing to a thinly cooked batter folded on the plate. 

Arti immediately frowned while laughing. She said, "How many times have I cooked this, Tiger? It's Rhoti."

"Rhoti, pancake, crepe… They are the same… give me that." 

While Arti placed a piece at Bolin's plate, her grandma came back with several sauces to pair with his snacks. "Here you go, Bolin. This will add to the taste. I made this especially for you."

Bolin studied the thick paste and asked, "What are those?"

"It's chutney… different kinds… one is green chili. The other one is red chili and this one… well…. It's not a chili - "

"Then I'll go with that!" Bolin cut her off, taking a spoon and putting it on his plate. 

He started tearing his rhoti with both his hands when Arti reprimanded him, "Dont - don't use your left hand. How many times do I have to tell you, tiger!"

Bolin let out a heavy sigh. It was bad enough that he was about to eat main dishes full of chilis; he had to eat with one hand. There was no spoon or folk to help him. 

Thus, Bolin tried his best to get accustomed to how the food was eaten in Arti's home. He took a piece from the rhoti, breaking it before pinching in for some of the chutney. 

After chowing down on it, Bolin coughed. thankfully, he managed to swallow it down with the help of water. 

"That is some strange texture and taste… What is it made of?" He asked without turning to Arti. He just went on taking another bite. 

"It's made of red ants and it's eggs," said his pickle before giggling all over again. 

He coughed hard after learning what it was made of. He decided the chili chutneys were a better option, even the chili corn dog. He ended up eating a few, surviving for the sake of getting Arti's parent's approval. 

When the main dishes were brought in, Bolin was presented with different types of kebabs and fried chicken, all marinated with spice, especially chilis. 

There were also three kinds of spicy curry. All Bolin could decipher was the color. One was a red curry, one was a brown curry, and the other was green curry. 

He sat in front of Arti's parents as they all pitched in to put food on his plate. The last person to add was Arti's brother. He said, "let's put some ghost chili chutney on top of your rice."

Bolin gulped at the amount of meat and rice in front of him. He turned to Arti who gave him a mere pout on the lips before cheering him on. She said, "Go, tiger! There is a pitcher of water next to you - with ice."

Before eating, Arti's father said, "If you can finish your plate, we will have the wedding in two days… So… Eat up."

Bolin gave an awkward smile before mixing the different sauces, chutney, and rice with his right hand. He saw Arti's family staring at him, waiting for him to take his first bite. Arti's mother and grandmother gave him smiles while Arti's brother and father gave him threatening glares. 

He smiled back at them and put food into his mouth. After just a second, he instantly felt his mouth and throat burning. Droplets of sweat formed on his forehead and he could not help but suck air into his mouth, cooling it down. He hastily drank two glasses of water. 

"Giving up so soon?" Asked Arti's brother. 

"No! Never! Arti and I are getting married and that's final!" Bolin declared and ate as promptly as possible, barely chewing down his food so the spiciness lingered not on his tongue. When he was done, he drank over two pitchers of water. 

It was only then when Arti's parents laughed and cheered him on. 

"Congratulations! You are getting married to my daughter!" Arti's father announced while laughing hysterically. 

Arti's mother and grandmother were giggling, giving him a thumbs up while her brother was still frowning at Bolin's success but said, "If you hurt my sister, I will hunt you in China."

"Of course not! Bolin would never hurt me! "Arti quickly hugged Bolin tightly and exclaimed, "Yey! Tiger, I'm so proud of you!"

Bolin was relieved beyond words after it was all done, but just as he put an arm around his pickle's shoulder, her father spoke,  "Now, Arti. Tomorrow, you bring Bolin to your uncle's home. He will also prepare a feast for you both." 

Looking at Bolin, he added, "You need to make sure you eat anything my brother gives you, okay young man?" 

Bolin gulped at the idea of having another spice buffet, but the next thing Arti's father suggested was something he was absolutely good at. 

"Now, how about we drink until we pass out?" Suggested Arti's father.