Eating with Bare Hands
I remember a Dutch friend years back (while having a short stint here) commenting that he always had to ask the local restaurants/cafes for that extra knife so he can have dinner comfortably, until he has discovered that we have sharp spoons (joke context).
I can eat with my bare hands as far as I can remember, but I dont exactly recall when Ive learned to use the spoon and fork, the common eating utensils here in the Philippines. Though its most common for Filipinos to be able to eat with their hands (maybe because the staple food is rice and fish (or pork) and so much easier to handle with bare hands) its not a point for generalization because I do have a friend who cannot eat (rice and viand) with her bare hands. There sure is a proper way of eating with your hands:
1) Of course, wash your hands first (for sanitary purposes).
2) Rule of thumb: not a crumb should reach your inner palm.
3) Using the tips of your five fingers, pool the rice (and viand: fish, meat or vegetable) in one mound and pick it all up.
4) Put your hands close to your mouth and with the use of your thumb push the food inside your mouth.
Yeah, that easy. (Photo Source)
Eating with my bare hands or using the spoon and fork: I do am very comfortable switching to either eating manner as appropriately necessary. (No way would I eat my tuyo (a.k.a. dried fish) and rice with a spoon and fork! Will you?)
Here’s an interesting page I found: History of Eating Utensils
2 Comments
[...] Eating with both utensils is the traditional way that Filipinos eat formally. And I emphasize this word because there is a much less formal, still very traditional, and more comfortable way that we eat – with our bare hands. [...]
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