Visiting India without frequent flier miles

A trip abroad can make or break a new relationship. He’s an adventurous eater; she makes a beeline for the nearest McDonald’s. He likes to plan every move; she likes to wander.

Here in Southern California, we are fortunate to have a wealth of ethnic neighborhoods that simulate the experience of being in a foreign country. Short of an overseas trip, there is no better testing ground for a new couple than an excursion to an ethnic enclave, and no better ethnic enclave for that purpose than Artesia’s Little India.

First, there’s the food. If your date spoons up the soupy, salty-sweet papri chaat with gusto or suggests sampling the bright orange, wheel-shaped boondi, you know you’ve got an adventurer who will happily accompany you on that monthlong camping trip to Mongolia.

But if he keeps asking “Where’s the meat?” when confronted by a platter of nut-and-potato pettis, you might find yourself mentally scrolling a few ex-boyfriends back for someone who would appreciate the experience.

Then there are the tests of patience. It’s a rare woman who can resist pawing through the mountains of colorful fabric at Little India’s ubiquitous sari stores. If her male companion manages to pass the time without heaving sighs of boredom, at least he cares enough to fake it. And if he actually seems enjoy himself -- well, maybe he’s not the manly man she thought he was.

But guys and girls don’t always have to be at cross-purposes. At Aakar Handicrafts, the domestically inclined can browse the jewelry and home furnishings, while comic book fans can leaf through the adventures of Chacha Chaudhary, a diminutive, turban-clad antihero who saves elephants and battles machine gun-wielding commandos.

If either of you needs a pick-me-up, there are plenty of mind-altering substances if you know where to look. One store at the southern edge of the Pioneer Boulevard strip sells nothing but Indian snuff. And at Patel Brothers grocery, betel nut comes in three varieties: pure, spicy mix and chocolate.

The brick-red pure version may be uncomfortably close to the hard-core stuff chewed and expectorated by truck drivers across Asia. But the spicy mix produces a mild jolt, lending a clarity of mind that may come in useful as you mull over the day’s discoveries on the drive home.

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The tab

Vegetarian snacks $14.96

* What: Appetizer sampler, masala dosa, mango lassi, sweet lassi, plus tip. Jay Bharat, 18701 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia. (562) 924-3310

Shopping $9.50

* What: Two packs of Indian-style ramen ($1), House of Spices, 18550 Pioneer Blvd., (562) 860-9919. Astrology medallion ($5) and comic book ($2.50), Aakar Handicrafts, 18618 Pioneer Blvd., (562) 809-8093. Four packets of betel-nut chew ($1), Patel Brothers, 18636 Pioneer Blvd., (562) 402-2953

Dessert $5.28

* What: Sweet boondi, pista burfi, papri chaat. Ambala Sweets, 18433 Pioneer Blvd. (562) 402-0006

Total $29.74