India on Lexington Avenue (June 13, 2025)

From left to right: Neem leaves and powder: an assortment of Indian twigs for brushing one’s teeth; a yogurt based drink called moru; samosas and pani poori; onion mosala dosas.

For me there is no end to the fascination that New York holds, which is why I would like to relate a second adventure that took place this past Wednesday.

A few days ago I ran out of toothpaste, so I went to the Wholefoods Market to look for toothpaste that isn't available in Japan. There, I found toothpaste with various herb and fruit flavors, and among them I found neem and pomegranate toothpaste, and bought a trial size to use at home.

The toothpaste was so good that I did some research on neem. It's very popular in India. It whitens teeth and also has antibacterial properties. Since I'm in the world's largest international city, I thought I'd go to the Indian area and get some neem toothpaste. The toothpaste at Wholefoods only had a little neem in it, so I thought there must be a toothpaste with a stronger neem content. This was how I discovered the Murray Hill section of New York, which has a very large Asian Indian population. My adventurous mother did some research and we went to a store there called Kalustyan's on Lexington Avenue.

As a result, we got a twig of neem, an olive branch, and a branch of miswak, which is the tree used by Indians to brush their teeth. Not toothbrushes, but twigs! I couldn't contain my excitement. We found everything in Kalustyan's.

Kalustyan's sells neem as both a twig and a powder. I was looking for something with a stronger neem flavor than the one sold at Wholefoods, but I never expected it to be 100% neem!

After that, we went to a nearby South Indian restaurant called Pongal and enjoyed South Indian food that I had never seen or eaten before.

There are many Indian restaurants in Tokyo, and I often go there with my family, but it's North Indian food. This restaurant serves dosas, a thin crepe-like pancake from South India, typically made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils.

The first thing that surprised me was that the samosas, a fried or baked pastry, typically triangular in shape, filled with a savory mixture of potatoes, peas, and spices, and often served with chutney, tasted completely different from anything I had ever eaten! Even the outer pie had spices kneaded into it. I didn't know how to eat panipuri, which is a popular Indian street food snack consisting of small, hollow, deep-fried bread shells (puris) filled with a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas, spices, and a tangy, spicy water, so a very kind waiter showed me how.

I also ordered a sweet drink called moru, which comes from South India. It was described as thin buttermilk yogurt shake with onions & spices, that was both salty and spicy at the same time! My mother liked the cold soup-like taste, so I left it with her and ordered a sweet lassi, which is a popular Indian yogurt-based beverage that is sweetened and often flavored. It's typically made by blending yogurt with water, sugar, and sometimes cardamom or rosewater.

When I got home, my mother asked me, "Do you understand that there is still something you need to do?" I answered, "Practice?"

The correct answer was to brush my teeth with the toothbrush twig. Of the three types, I chose Miswak. It had a strong smell and a strong taste, but it seemed to be effective and was so interesting that I actually liked it.

How wonderful it was to experience an entirely new culture, and all because I needed toothpaste!