Why is eating food with your hands generally frowned upon in the Western World?

Daveysil15

In India they sit around big tables and eat chicken curries with their hands.

BaconZombie

I regularly eat with my hands and have no issues with it.
Normally if you one use one hand it seem to be more "acceptable" but **** it I don't give a **** either way.

JONJO THE MISER

I always eat chicken wings and lamb chops with my hands and chips as well.

Anthony O Brien

April O Neill wrote: »

Yeah, that's a bit mank. IMO, anything with a sauce shouldn't be eaten with hands.

what about chicken wings?

dgt

Ill just eat my burger with this fork and knife.....

April O Neill

Anthony O Brien wrote: »

what about chicken wings?

Very little sauce on them, and finger bowls are always provided.

positron

Daveysil15 wrote: »

In India they sit around big tables and eat chicken curries with their hands.

True, however we don't eat currys as such - we eat chappati's or rice with curry - that means the "main" is chappati / rice, just in case if someone is wondering how someone would scoop up gooey curry without a spoon..!

I am from India and grew up eating without utensils all my life. It's funny watching all these super celebrity chefs hammering on about various "dimensions" of a dish - the different colours, the different textures etc.. yet they are completely oblivious to the dimension of how everything feels to touch with your fingers..!! It's sad really!!

Artful_Badger

People eat lots of stuff with their hands. Chips, pizza, chicken wings, burgers, wraps etc. Actually people eat most stuff with their hands tbh. But stuff like spuds and sauce covered things need a utensil, or if your out and you dont want to get stuff all over your nice clean self.

WilyCoyote

I'm amazed that no one so far has tried eating with the mouth!

simply simple

123 LC wrote: »

Because eating food with a knife and fork is so much more hygienic....however clean you think your hands are, they're probably filthy...even turning a door handle into a restaurant means loads of germs on your hand-eating with these germy hands will mean you'll be more likely to catch some illness

What about sex then, dont you end up with germs in your mouth because of it? or is there any other way of doing it to avoid germs that go in your mouth.

I think hygine issue related with eating with knife and fork is just a legendary myth.

positron

123 LC wrote: »

Because eating food with a knife and fork is so much more hygienic....however clean you think your hands are, they're probably filthy...even turning a door handle into a restaurant means loads of germs on your hand-eating with these germy hands will mean you'll be more likely to catch some illness

In countries like India where they normally eat with hand, the normal practice is to go and wash your hand just before you sit down at the table to eat. It's taught from a very young age that you wont' get dinner if you don't wash your hands before you sit down at the dining table.

--LOS--

sandwiches, pizza, burger, burritos.....meh I eat with my hands if it makes sense, people who eat pizza with a knife and fork just coz they're in a restaurant are just stupid

Capt'n Midnight

seb65 wrote: »

Actually, in medieval times it was considered rude to eat with utensils. The upper classes saw food as coming from God and to distance yourself from the food with a fork or spoon was considered an affront to God's graces.

I don't know how it changed.

most of that stuff, kneeling in front of the king, shaking hands with your right hand , traffic passing on the right, not using knives was mostly an excuse to keep people honest , there were lots of backstabbers and frontstabbers back then

Demonique

uch wrote: »

Try eating a portion of chow mein from the Chinese with your hands after 9 pint and you'll have your answer

To be fair you'll probably have trouble eating it with chopsticks or a knife and fork too

Gbear

Daveysil15 wrote: »

I don't know how the Chinese eat rice with chopsticks. It would take me all day.

They lift the bowl up to their mouth and just sort of shovel it in with the chopsticks.

Any time I've seen Chinese people eating that's how they do it.

It looks a bit rough but it's just a cultural sensibility. Nothing unhygienic about it.

hatrickpatrick

Vito Corleone wrote: »

I saw someone eating a sandwich with a knife and fork before. I don't know what's wrong with some people.

Maybe I'm just a complete slob, but I'm honestly having a lot of trouble figuring out how this could even be done.

Duggys Housemate

People should do as they please and eat with their hands when they feel the need to

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Maybe I'm just a complete slob, but I'm honestly having a lot of trouble figuring out how this could even be done.

they cut the sandwich with the knife and used the fork to put it in their mouth?

looking_around

People should do as they please and eat with their hands when they feel the need to

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Maybe I'm just a complete slob, but I'm honestly having a lot of trouble figuring out how this could even be done.

Quite easily, I've done so a few times.

I was raised with "use utensils to eat when in public". And never order something from a restuarant that would require you to use your hands.

I've eaten plenty of sandwiches and burgers with knifes and forks, even the bread you get with soup, should be cut into bite sized pieces and then eaten with your fork. Never get your hands dirty :P. Not to mention there's a correct way to hold your bowl and spoon the soup out :rolleyes:

I'm not fussed about it myself. Though I still eat burgers with a knife and fork as I find they can get quite messy.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

Yakult

looking_around wrote: »

Quite easily, I've done so a few times.

I was raised with "use utensils to eat when in public". And never order something from a restuarant that would require you to use your hands.

I've eaten plenty of sandwiches and burgers with knifes and forks, even the bread you get with soup, should be cut into bite sized pieces and then eaten with your fork. Never get your hands dirty :P. Not to mention there's a correct way to hold your bowl and spoon the soup out :rolleyes:

I'm not fussed about it myself. Though I still eat burgers with a knife and fork as I find they can get quite messy.

No, it should not. :eek:

EoghanIRL

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

I always eat chicken wings and lamb chops with my hands and chips as well.

I could never eat chicken wings with a knife and fork :O

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Daveysil15 wrote: »

I don't know how the Chinese eat rice with chopsticks. It would take me all day.

In Asia the rice that is served usually clumps together and is easy to eat with chopsticks. I'd say they'd have trouble with the rice you usually get in Ireland. Incidentally, Koreans usually eat rice with a spoon anyway.