For the first time traveler in India, eating can be the main source of fear.
"Can I get Delhi belly?"
The answer is a resounding, "most likely!" But don't let that stop you traveling in the most ridiculous magical country on earth.
Okay, back to banana. Here's how you should eat bananas in India. Hold it with the stem with one hand while you carefully peel it with the other... until now it is like eating at home. But here is the important part - you have to make sure that if you have touched the outside of the banana, you do not touch the part you are going to eat.
Why? The thing that can make you sick is not the banana itself, these are germs in any small water droplets outside the banana. So with any peeled fruit, just make sure never to touch the outside, then inside-the-inside is a little tougher than the orange, but there you have it.
For this reason, you should not give salads, or free water in restaurants. The salad would be great, but the water it is washed in can give you the wish death. In some restaurants that cater specifically to foreigners, they may tell you that they have 'filter water', which will then be fine for you, so it's not a blanket rule, but directed by the surroundings - if It is a five star hotel, you are right to eat anything, because it is all made for foreigners to eat, but if you are nowhere, then you are on a small roadside by the side of the road. And all patrons are local, so keep it safe or you can ruin your vacation. Also, never travel to India without comprehensive travel insurance, you do not want yourself really sick that no one calls.
Regarding receiving Delhi-Bailey as a first time traveler in India, there is consensus. Most people actually get sick in their first week, if they are eating at even reputable local restaurants, certainly if they are eating from roadside stalls or anything with milk or yogurt Drinking where the local power supply is unstable (which is everywhere), by the way). But with dozens of repeat travelers I know personally, none of them have fallen ill on subsequent trips, except here for the cold.
It is like your body just it needs Indian baptism, then you are fine. It is baptized by both fire and water, you might say. But it is well worth it, as once India gets under your skin, not to mention going through your digestive system, you will never be the same.
And one more thing about bananas - they can be fatal in more ways than one. Do not eat them in front of hungry urban monkeys or you may have a bad fight on your hands - have I mentioned travel insurance?
