take!

Today in Hindi class we had a funny conversation with Geeta ji, our professor, about being polite and eating. She asked us what the difference between "Come on in" and "Do come in" is to an English speaker. White debating it amongst ourselves, Julia said she'd said "would you like to come in?" Geeta ji said she would never go in if someone asked her that because it's part of Indian culture to assume that if you are asking them "would you like some? would you like to? would you, etc?" that the questioner doesn't really want you to accept...like such questions are only asked because the asker feels forced to by the other person present. She told us how she went to dinner with some of her first Hindi students from UK, New Zealand, and Scotland and they would ask her "would you like this?" and so she would always refuse...and always be hungry. See in India, you don't offer something so much as demand someone to take it. You must understand that in India when you sit down at someone's table for a meal, you are told "take! take!" upon finishing anything on your plate again you are told "take! take!" (or sometimes it reappears on your plate when your head is turned the other way and in your blindness you can't refuse). She told us that if Indians go to someone's house to eat and the food is before them and they are starving they will not eat unless they are told "take" (and for that matter, it's rude to take it without being told...which made some of us feel a bit awkward in retrospect). Luckily Geeta ji and her first students soon figured out the differences in culture and established a system of 'western no' and 'hindi no.' The former meaning actually 'no' and the latter meaning ask or offer again and I will say yes (in fact I do want it, but must deny at least once to be polite). She also said in Delhi this formality of refusing once or twice is fading in the culture so if she really wants something (but doesn't want to sound rude) she will say "abhi nahi" meaning "not right now," which she says assures she won't lose the offer completely (unless the other is rude). What I want to know is how to say a Western 'no' to people who aren't language teachers...I'm afraid I may be unrecognizable upon my return home from taking in too much =)