Culture of eating with hands

Being South Asian I have always been eating with my hands since I guess when I started on finger foods. It is very tough for anyone to change habbits i.e. anyone who has lived all thru their life eating with silverware to start experimenting with using hands.

But I guess there is this innate satisfaction when someone eats with bare hands. Humans eat food like any other species in animal kingdom in more than one ways. Eveyone begins with Nose, Eyes and then the mouth. But using hands gives another avenue to feel the food before we actually consume it. The fingers can actually feel the food in terms of temperature, texture, etc. This allows one more dimension before the food winds up into your stomach.

When eating Indian food traditionally we tend to limit eating with only the right hand sometimes left hand is acceptable. It is considered unhealthy to eat with left hand. Licking foods off fingers for certain types of food is considered OK but in moderation. But I guess it is different in some cultures. I ate Mediterranean and I have come across where people eat with two hands. It is different type of fun to use two hands to tear on the bread, dip it in sauce with meat or veggies and then chew on it.

But one thing that is common in all cultures where eating with hands is traditional is washing hands. In Indian restaurants if anyone is to use their hands, there are designated wash places with soap and driers. But I liked it in the Mediterranean cuisine, where the person who serves the food comes with a pouring kettle and large collecting vessel. The guys there just pour the water from the kettle starting from just on top of the hands to almost 6 feet high and the customers are asked to place their hands on top of the receiving vessel.

Eating here is also a little different where the dishes are all served in a common bowl and each one gets their own bread. Every one has to tear their bread, dip into the common sauce and eat. Mind you double dipping is not allowed and this also promotes sharing of food and that all are equal when eating food. A good concept, I liked it.

Both these pictures were taken on a birthday of a friend. He took us all to this Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose on First Street. There was belly dancing by artists and we all were asked to seat on seat cushions on the floor and some on the sofas. It was a good experience.