1. Rice and Ghee
Lighter food comes first, so for the first course you'll be pouring purified butter over your rice and eating clumps of it—mixed with vegetables or dal—with your fingers.

2. Dal
This usually comes either in little tin cups or, if it has a denser consistency, in little dollops on a banana leaf. It's your job to mash it all together, moving your fingers inward and outward to mix the rice in. Once you've achieved a claylike consistency, start rolling it back and forth with your fingers to form a ball. If it stays together, just pop it into your mouth. If it's soupy, use your hand as a scooper, pushing the mixture into your mouth with your thumb.

3. Vegetables and Curries
You'll be mixing these with the rice and eating them much as you ate the dal. Drop the vegetables into the ice first.

4. Dhosa, Puri, Fried Foods, Pickles, and Chutneys
Eat these with your right hand, using a piece of chapati to scoop up some of the chutneys and pickles.

5. Pappadam and Yogurt
You'll eat these last. Crush and sprinkle the pappadam onto your rice-curry mixture and eat with your hand.

When You're Done
In some areas, if you fold the banana leaf toward you when you've finished eating, this indicates that you liked the meal, whereas if you fold it away from you, it means you're dissatisfied. If you don't want any more food, simply cover your plate and say "bas."

The Lesson: 9 Simple Rules for Being in the Street
There's nothing like a walk down a busy, bazaar-filled Indian street to give you a real sense of the country in all its glorious, messy diversity. Here's how to maximize your experience and ensure a warm reception

1. Dress Modestly
Keep your shoulders covered at all times. This especially applies to women, who should also wear below-the-knee skirts—except when going to a private home or a bar and taking a car the entire way.

2. Wear Sandals
Sneakers mark you as a tourist, and sandals are easy to take off, which you'll have to do to enter a religious institution or a home. Minders will watch your shoes, but don't wear any you can't bear to lose.

3. Haggle Within Reason
It's expected, particularly at outdoor markets. Start by declaring that you'll pay half the price, but don't go overboard; if the difference is 50 cents, cough it up. Walking away is not an insulting tactic.

4. Negotiate Prices First
This especially goes for cabs and rickshaws. Sometimes it helps to make it a show of writing down the price in a notebook, so the driver will know you have a record of the promised fee.

5. Eat Their Snacks
Very often, you'll be offered a biscuit and a cup of tea upon entering a shop. At least take a bite or a sip. If you're afraid of the water, just make a sipping motion.

6. Text, Don't Call
Most small businesses run on cell phones. When author Melanie Abrams planned her wedding to novelist Vikram Chandra, she telephoned florists and "they were shocked," she says. She learned to text first.

7. Eat the Street Food
Don't let it scare you. Be sure that the food is freshly made, though—a big crowd ensures high turnover—and beware of water-based dishes in monsoon season.

8. Greet Elders with "Namaste"
If it's someone worthy of respect, say "Namaste," bringing your hands together as if praying and quickly bowing your head with shoulders slightly hunched.

9. Keep Your Body Language Open
Too often, tourists wear a guarded expression, thinking this protects them. (It doesn't.) Instead, have a sense of humor, smile and say hello, and keep calm.