The Bengali household is a unique thing, unlike any other household in the world (That I know of). The following symptoms indicate that you live in, or are a part of a typical Bengali Household. (Observed from cousins and extended family). People from Kolkata may be able to relate.

Signs that you live in a Bengali Household

1. As far as your parents are concerned, you stopped growing when you were 6 & they still treat you like you are 6 years old.
2. Your mother still tries to feed you forcibly with her own hands if you’re taking too much time finishing your meal.
3. You have a unique, hard-to-spell name and you know very few other people with the same name
4. Your parents have a photo of Rabindranath Tagore and/or topless photos Ramkrishna (and his wife) on their walls.
5. You have a silly nickname that you can never divulge to your non-Bengali friends.
6. Your parents have any/all of the below at their home
   • Boroline (Thick layer applied on the lips)
   • Digene/Gelusil (For acidity after eating fried food)
   • Cremaffin (Or any laxative, because Bengali diet is poor in dietary fibre)
   • Misri
   • Silbatta
   • Boti (A chopping knife doesn’t belong in a Bengali kitchen)
   • Kasundi
7. You call and inform your parents every time you leave home to go somewhere and every time you reach back home safely.
8. You keep your parents informed about every meal you had everyday.
9. If you live outside Kolkata (or West Bengal), your mother constantly worries about whether you’re getting good quality fish to eat. (Without good river fish, a Bengali loses most, if not all his powers)
10. You complain to your parents about every minor ailment that befalls you, including headaches, scratches etc. and you mother asks you to apply Boroline on your wound.
11. Your parents call anyone who is not a Bengali “non-Bengali” or “Hindustani”.
12. A football match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal stirs up feverish arguments in your household.