Dear Listers, I often wonder why the British in India adopted certain practices, foods etc. from Indians but kept away from others. They refrained from using loose and flowing clothes which are more suitable to the climate. They never sat on the ground cross-legged. They never bathed Indian style from a bucket -sitting down on a stone platform and dousing oneself with cold water with a small pot - which is actually far more convenient for the climate where one needs at least one bath every day. It also is more practical as it needs far less paraphernalia. They never took to using ghee in cooking, though in India of the pre-refrigerator days, this was the best way of preserving a milk product without its turning rancid. I feel that there may not be a rational explanation for these abstentions, beyond a fear that this would mark one as turning native. This fear of standing apart from the majority kept everyone in a straitjacket. One of the pet aversions of the Brits was the Indian trader, who is usually described as being 'oily'. I think that referred to the Indian trader's habit of cooking with ghee. Is there any other explanation? Arvind Kolhatkar, July 15, 2008.