For first time travelers to India, food can be one of the main sources of anxiety.
“Will I get a Delhi belly?”
The answer is a resounding, “Most likely!” but don’t let that stop you from traveling in the most ridiculously magical country on Earth.
Okay, back to the banana. This is how you eat a banana in India. Hold it by the stem with one hand while gently peeling it with the other… so far it’s like eating one at home. But here’s the main thing: you have to make sure that if you’ve touched the outside of the banana, you’re not touching the part you’re about to eat.
Why? What might be making you sick is not the banana itself, it’s the germs in tiny water droplets etc on the outside of the banana. So with any peelable fruit, make sure you never touch the outside and then the inside – it’s a bit tricky with oranges, but there you have it.
For the same reason, you should not accept salads in restaurants, or the free glass of water they give you with your meal. The salad would be great, but the water it’s been washed in could make you wish you were dead. In some restaurants that cater specifically to foreigners, they may tell you they have ‘filter water’, which would be fine with you, so this isn’t a general rule, but be guided by the environment – if it’s a five star hotel, you are right to eat everything as it is all made for foreigners to eat but if you are in a small roadside stall in the middle of nowhere ganj and all customers are local play it safe or you would can ruin your vacation. Also, never travel to India without comprehensive travel insurance, you don’t really want to get sick without being able to call someone.
As for getting Delhi belly as a first-time traveler to India, here’s the consensus. Indeed, most people get sick in their first week, even if they eat in reputable local restaurants, especially if they eat at roadside stalls or drink something with milk or yogurt where the local electricity supply is unstable (that’s everywhere, btw). But with the dozens of repeat travelers I personally know, none of them have ever been sick on a return visit, except maybe a cold here and there.
It’s like your body just needs its Indian baptism then you’re fine. It is a baptism of both fire and water, you could say. But it’s well worth it because once India gets under your skin, not to mention your digestion, you’ll never be the same.
And one more thing about bananas: they can be deadly in more ways than one. Don’t eat them in front of hungry urban monkeys or you might end up in a nasty fight – did I mention you have travel insurance?
India travel tip – Eat a banana safely
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