Do's and Don't's

This week's culture class was a study on the Do's and Don't's. Before heading to the class, I thought, 'I wonder how many norms I have broken already?' During the class, my thought was 'Wait a minute...I have dealt with most of these before in other Asian cultures.' Here are a couple of the most interesting:

Many countries in Asia have a strong reaction to feet.  But here in Nepal, feet seem to be very taboo here.   There is a long list of don'ts. One is not suppose to point or indicate direction with one's feet. Nor should one touch another's feet with their own.  Don't close or open a door with your feet. Don't stand in front of someone who is eating, squat  down beside them instead. Don't walk over anyone's legs, feet, or belongings -go around. Deal with the cleaning of your own shoes, don't ask the didi (house help) to do it.
These are concepts that I had forgotten in my Western mindset, but I am well aware of them now (even tonight at the table of a local restaurant, I was overly conscience of the possibility of bumping into someone else feet and we were all badeshis). Nothing like keeping you on your toes!

a plate of dilemma 

The other one  that was totally new to me, was the practice called, 'Jutho'  Jutho means unclean. And in this case, it involves taboos of eating. If you are offered a plate and realize that it is way too much or you want to share some of it with others, you need to share the food before you start to eat it. Once you start eating, your plate and the food on it is considered unclean and its very impolite to offer anything off your plate to others. No one eats straight from a communal dish and one always uses the serving spoon. 
Also going into someone else's kitchen uninvited is very rude. The idea being that the hearth is a family's inner sanctum, so don't trepass.

Ah.. traditions. I just need to keep all these  do's and dont's straight in my head and hope that I do not offend! I'll get to practice this week, as I have been invited to a Nepali birthday party. Now what does one get from a present here?! UM?!