Elizabeth Oliver Manners in Mumbai

It was our second day in Mumbai, India and I was still getting used to the way things went here. The restaurant we were eating in was very crowded; we were seated shoulder to shoulder. It was so quiet; you could hear the people as they walked by. I started to notice how quietly the people were eating; it seemed very strange and very abnormal. The night grew on and I eventually finished my meal and as anybody would I set my fork down on my plate, and it landed quite loudly. Immediately after setting down my fork all heads in the restaurant turned and stared directly at me, with a look of disgust on their face. I then remembered about a rule of etiquette I read about before I left. Never let your fork make noise on your plate, it is extremely rude. Then a wave of embarrassment washed over me, I could feel my cheeks growing redder.