Two bites are better than one

Every culture in inextricably linked to certain superstitions and strange traditions. Many of us follow the superstitions of our native culture today, without reason or a general idea of their origins. My mother never rests her handbag on the ground because it will curse her and she will lose all her money. I never followed this one because I never saw any logic behind it. My aunt never leaves the toilet seat up because doing so will “flush your money away,” a little more convincing but not quite. Remember “step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back”? Yeah, my mother never broke her back either.

My friend Prattasha follows Bengali superstitions dogmatically. I didn’t know this about her and I found out the hard way. One day in high school, we went to get some fast food at Burger King to go before attending an after school review session. We sat toward the back so we could quietly eat, and I noticed that I had never tried her Spicy Chicken Crisp. Out of curiosity I asked her to try it and she   held the sandwich out for me to take a bite. I took the bite and enjoyed it and expected to go on with the review when she exclaimed- “Take another one!” and held out the sandwich again. I asked her why she was so enthusiastic about it, and found out that it was a Bengali superstition that if you feed a person, you must do it an even number of times.

Not one for superstitions myself, I decided to be difficult and not take the second bite. “I don’t feel like it, i’m full.” Little did I know Prattasha did not mind causing a disturbance in the review session in order to attack me and forcefully implement her second-bite policy. I’m still unsure of what bad luck she was trying to avoid, i’m actually quite sure she does not know herself.