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 ven when
holidaying abroad for just a few days, Indians spend half the time hunting
for their kind of food. The average Indian is not an adventurous one when
it comes to filling his stomach, which he does in his own
"handy" way.
Bare fingers are the cutlery and the plate may be a thali (round
stainless steel tray), a platter made
out of broad leaves, or even a single banana leaf. Most people eat seated on
the floor, with the meal kept on a slightly higher platform as it is considered God's gift.
Great expertise is required to eat the food with hands and it is considered improper
if food gets stuck above the first fold of the finger.
Though the style of eating in India is simple, the range of indigenous Indian foodstuffs is simply endless! Even the list of full grown cuisine schools is a long
one - Tandoori, Kashmiri, Avadhi, Marwari, Rajput, Gujarati, Bengali, Mughlai, Assamese, Goan, Hyderabadi, Udupi
etc. etc.  You'll discover that there's more, much more, to Indian cuisine
than just curries and tandoori items. Mithai
(sweetmeat) shops are a dime a dozen with a mouthwatering variety of shapes and tastes.
Spend some time at the interesting roadside dhabas (eateries) and chai
(tea) stalls. You can see how the items are prepared, and also taste them in local style with the local crowd. 
Broadly speaking the food is spicy and served hot. But then, a trip to India itself is a spicy
affair!To add a lingering after-taste, a paan is taken at the
end of the meal. A betel leaf with lime and several condiments, paan is
generally chewed for some time and then spit out to add yet another red spot
on the wall. You should try out either Banarasi, Calcutta or Madrasi
paans.
And if you happen to be in India during summers, you'll surely want carry back a
container-load of the the famous Alphonso or Ratnagiri
mangoes. Sweet and delicious, the King of Fruits comes in hundreds of
varieties in India.
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