Do you mind eating with your hands?

[The Bald Eagle]

Do you mind eating with your hands?

Its a question that many would love to answer, sometimes its just about tradition and on other occasions its about personal preference and convenience. So to which school of action do you belong to here?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Why Eating With Hands Is More Than Just A Tradition​

Eating with hands contributes to healthy eating and overall well-being. The benefits are surprising and eye-opening​

In a world where traditions fade away or take on new forms, it's time to give a nod to those forgotten gems. Some transformations are undeniably for the better, but there's one age-old practice that has stood the test of time: eating with our hands! Sure, shiny cutlery may have taken over our tables, but there's a tribe of bold individuals who still relish the touch of their fingertips on their meals. Let's take a delicious journey back in time to ancient civilizations like India, Greece and Egypt, where this vibrant tradition thrived.

But according to food and health experts, eating with your hands goes beyond mere tradition - it's a health-conscious choice! You might not have given it a second thought, but fear not, we've got your back (and your plate) covered. From improved digestion to heightened awareness of portion sizes, eating with hands has more health benefits than you might have ever imagined.

What Ayurveda Says​

Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine in India that teaches us how to live in harmony with nature. According to Ayurveda, eating with your hands is not only hygienic but also beneficial for your senses and digestion. Ayurveda says that each finger represents one of the five elements: space (thumb), air (index finger), fire (middle finger), water (ring finger), and earth (little finger). When we eat with our hands, we make a gesture that activates these elements and balances the energies in our body. Also, when we touch our food with our fingers, we send signals to our brain that we are ready to eat, which prepares our stomach and other digestive organs for the process of digestion. Eating with hands also helps us to be more mindful of what we eat, how much we eat, and how fast we eat, which are all important factors for healthy digestion.

Source: NDTV

 

[Hitman]

I prefer using spoon and fork. Caught the habit from my now deceased father.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

I love eating with my hands because i don't feel fully satisfied until I dont eat this way.

 

[Justcrazy]

Nothing wrong in using hands.
Humans have been eating with hands since time began. It is convenient .

 

[The Bald Eagle]

I love eating with my hands because i don't feel fully satisfied until I dont eat this way.

Yep it feels so good even ironically sometime feel more hygienic too.

 

[sweep_shot]

I love to eat with my hands. I do not like to use forks/spoons/knives, unless I am eating pasta or something.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Depends on what I'm eating.

Like a pizza or roti with salan is fine.

I don't like eating rice and stuff with my hands.

 

[sweep_shot]

I don't like eating rice and stuff with my hands.

Rice dish is something I prefer to eat with hands.

I was once at a wedding ceremony. They gave us goat biryani or something (not exactly sure what the dish was). I was eating with hands. One relative wasn't happy about it and he brought spoon for me. I continued to eat with my hands.

I believe eating rice with hand is the real subcontinental tradition. Using spoon was imported from West.

 

[pillionrider]

I eat with my hands whenever possible, including while at a restaurant. Except obvious things like pasta.

It's all about how it looks and feels to me visually. So I find eating idlies with my hand disgusting and use a spoon, but a vada is crunchier, easy to grip and dip and so I'll eat that portion of the breakfast with my hand.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Rice dish is something I prefer to eat with hands.

I was once at a wedding ceremony. They gave us goat biryani or something (not exactly sure what the dish was). I was eating with hands. One relative wasn't happy about it and he brought spoon for me. I continued to eat with my hands.

I believe eating rice with hand is the real subcontinental tradition. Using spoon was imported from West.

You and @pillionrider both mention the dislike of eating pasta with hands. To me rice is the same category. I just can't do it. Especially when curry or yoghurt is involved.

 

[pillionrider]

You and @pillionrider both mention the dislike of eating pasta with hands. To me rice is the same category. I just can't do it. Especially when curry or yoghurt is involved.

I eat rice almost always with my hands. Even biryanis. It's actually very common here and finger bowls are commonplace because almost everyone does it. I'm talking South India.

But again, I find it weird to eat Asian (Chinese, Thai, Burmese etc) rice items with my hands and go for spoons. But I'll eat the dry prawn/chicken sides with my hand rather than use a fork.

I've never thought about all this until today and was surprised to notice how I eat parts of one single idly-vada breakfast differently lol. It's not something conscious. It all has happened over time and is all about how it feels to me when I look at the food on my plate. That decides hands vs cutlery, but majority of the time it's hands for me.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I eat rice almost always with my hands. Even biryanis. It's actually very common here and finger bowls are commonplace because almost everyone does it. I'm talking South India.

But again, I find it weird to eat Asian (Chinese, Thai, Burmese etc) rice items with my hands and go for spoons. But I'll eat the dry prawn/chicken sides with my hand rather than use a fork.

I've never thought about all this until today and was surprised to notice how I eat parts of one single idly-vada breakfast differently lol. It's not something conscious. It all has happened over time and is all about how it feels to me when I look at the food on my plate. That decides hands vs cutlery, but majority of the time it's hands for me.

I relate almost word to word with what our good brother has said here except the part about eating idlis with spoon. I eat that with my hand too


Eating rice with hands is rare in Northern India too. In fact , many were positively upset in my hostel when I used to eat rice with my hands.

 

[Major]

Depends upon the food.

Like i really hate when people eat a burger or pizza with a knife and fork. This is a trend of seen in Brit Pakistanis.
I even hate eating fries with a fork, there needs to be that salty grease on your fingers when munching on fries.

I dont know how to eat rice with hands, and prefer to use a spoon. But have no issues with someone that eats rice with their hands.

 

[Vikram1989]

I will be very conscious while eating outside and will prefer only spoons unless it's pizza,burger, some typical south Indian dishes which require hands.

 

[deltexas]

Spoon and fork for me- no hands business. Stereotypical American i guess lol !

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Depends upon the food.

Like i really hate when people eat a burger or pizza with a knife and fork. This is a trend of seen in Brit Pakistanis.
I even hate eating fries with a fork, there needs to be that salty grease on your fingers when munching on fries.

I dont know how to eat rice with hands, and prefer to use a spoon. But have no issues with someone that eats rice with their hands.

Since when have you seen Brit Pakistanis eat Burgers and pizza with knife and fork. I for one definetly don't, and I'm certain, I can relate to majority other Brit Paks on this forum

 

[Statpadder Inc]

I eat burgers, pizzas, and fries with my hands along with bread and chapattis obviously.

I eat pasta and rice with spoon

 

[Stewie]

I think it looks pretty bad if you eat rice with your hands

 

[Champ_Pal]

Wash hands properly and you are good to go.
You cannot eat roti with a fork. So I use hands. The rest of the stuff, I use spoon or fork.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I think it looks pretty bad if you eat rice with your hands

I think this is a cultural perspective. To us it seems strange to eat rice and other salan with hands, but I've seen south Indians and Bangladeshis scoop it up, squish it together and eat it quite happily. I suppose to westerners, us eating roti and salan with our hands must seem equally strange. Although a lot of them are catching on and following suit so maybe not as strange as previously.

 

[Stewie]

I think this is a cultural perspective. To us it seems strange to eat rice and other salan with hands, but I've seen south Indians and Bangladeshis scoop it up, squish it together and eat it quite happily. I suppose to westerners, us eating roti and salan with our hands must seem equally strange. Although a lot of them are catching on and following suit so maybe not as strange as previously.

No I believe some food are different and can be eaten using hands and are not as susceptible to sanitary issues. Westerners eat fast food with their hands, so it’s not about that either.

With rice, you literally get your hands in the business.

 

[hassan918]

It depends on what I am eating. If I am eating rice then I would use a spoon or if I am eating Roti with Salan then I would use my hands.

 

[PakLFC]

Yes and no. Things like pizza's, sandwiches, roti and kebabs are much better when eaten with hands. To eat rice with yoghurt or curry on it, custard or ice cream with your hands makes you appear like a five year old. What a mess! Kitchen utensils are made for a reason.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Nope. I don't mind this at all until they are washed and cleaned properly. I can eat any type of food with hand.