I’ve been watching David Chang’s show Ugly Delicious. He has an episode on Indian food. He talks about how Indian food that is popularized is so different from the food that people in India and people from India eat. He visited some of his friends’ houses who are from India. They eat with their hands, so he did too.
It didn’t look at easy as it sounds. Getting the soupy foods with the rice or the bread in one bite was a challenge. His friends were teaching him the technique, something about pushing first.
If you went to a friend’s house who was from India and ate their food in the way that people in India do, would you join in and eat the food with your bare hands?
I spent 3 weeks hiking from village to village on the Indian side of the Himalayan foothills. Every village I stayed in had a few guest huts and the villagers prepared the most fabulous food for us (a big plus for me was that the whole area is vegetarian - no animal slaughter is allowed in that region - so I was happy to try every single dish placed before me)
We never used cutlery - one of the things I love about eating Indian food with my fingers is that the delicious fragrance of the spices lingers on your fingers long after the meal. It must get into the pores of the skin because, even after several handwashes, I could often smell the delicious scent of last night’s curry on my fingers the next morning!
Do your Asian friends eat with their hands? I thought most Asian people ate with chopsticks. Or do you mean you’d do as they do?
That’s a comment that David Chang made. He said he would laugh at people who couldn’t eat with chopsticks since he grew up eating with them, but he had a difficult time eating with his hands. He thought that his Indian friends must be laughing at him on the inside.
I wouldn’t be eating the bread, so not quite sure how it’s possible unless it’s a bhaji or poppadom which are normally gluten-free. The gluten free versions of naans/chapatti etc most likely wouldn’t be available. But pretty much most curries are gluten free recipes which is brilliant. It’s a real pain for me to work out what I am able to eat when travelling, never mind if I have to work out how to eat it.
If I ever make it to India I will be sure to pack a spoon!
I totally agree with you.
I love Indian food but I am certainly not keen about eating with fingers.
But if invited, like in the situation described above, I would most definitely follow suit and eat with my fingers, out of respect for my host and because not doing so would be rude in my book.
If it’s a roti or a naan then yes but I’m not comfortable eating with my hands even though I’m of Indian descent. I prefer a . If it’s Chinese food then I prefer .
If I had used all the Naan bread I would use a spoon and fork for what was left. The hands would get very greasy otherwise. I’ve used chopsticks once or twice for a Chinese meal. I’ve come to the conclusion that at least a couple of pints before helps to overcome any inhibitions about using them.
I have seen Indian people who I work with eating like this.
I guess I would try it if I were in India and that was the way to do it - like I tried eating with chopsticks in Vietnam and China
(I have never been to India)
. Similarly with Asian friends.
Do your Asian friends eat with their hands? I thought most Asian people ate with chopsticks. Or do you mean you’d do as they do?
. If it’s Chinese food then I prefer 
.