I don't fully understand cows in Hinduism -- something about them being Shiva'a vehicle, or the incarnation of Vishnu or something. It's surprisingly hard to research: everything is either too simplified ("Cows are sacred in India!") or too in-depth ("The cow is the apparition of the goddess Parvathi, the avatar of Shiva as per the eighth Rig Veda and known by the name Ashanthana...").
But regardless of backstory, cows are everywhere on the streets, sometimes munching on leftover banana leaves that were used as plates or, more commonly, nosing through piles of trash and picking out edible bits or delicious plastic bags to chew on. You learn to ignore them -- they're not cuddly, and they're large and slow moving and not the brightest of animals, so they're fairly easy to just walk around.
I met an Oklahoman (bushy beard; broad, flat drawl) at my hotel and we went to dinner, passing by several cows along the way. One had his head down in the trash and for whatever reason as I passed, he took a disliking to me, and brought his head up sharply between my legs, lifting me a few inches off the ground by the seat of my pants.
The Oklahoman grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. "Jesus," I said. "I really wasn't expecting Vishnu there to, uh..."
"GIT TA THIRD BASE?!?" he cackled.
"Exactly," I said.
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