Spoons, Chopsticks And Fingers! : The Way The World Eats

Let us imagine a dining scenario with people and food across the world present. Here, the Japanese man dubiously glanced at the knife, fork, and spoon arranged around his table. The English lady looked in amazement at the Indian enjoyingly eating morsels of rice with his bare hands; while the Indian man fidgeted with chopsticks between his fingers.

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience.", said James Beard.

In this world with over 7 billion people, supposedly separated by boundaries, we have a variety of utensils used during a meal. While a majority of the West uses spoons, forks, and knives; natives of East Asia which includes China, Japan, andKorea, use chopsticks. South Asians of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh simply use their fingers.

Each country follows a unique tradition of laying the table for a meal. It enlists certain directives regarding the way the cutlery and food need to be arranged.

Chopsticks and Spoons:

The Koreans pair the chopsticks with a spoon; the set being called 'sujeo' is placed to the right of the soup bowl. The Japanese, however, rest their chopsticks, called 'saibashi' in the right-left direction and are never placed crossed.

The English have gifted us with an agglomeration of utensils. They have the table spoon, the tea spoon, the dessert spoon, the berry spoon and so on. Coupled with knives and forks, the Western countries seem to have a spoon for every purpose!

As the decades pass, the world continues to grow into a smaller, connected whole; with one culture leaving its footprints in the other, and countries exchanging trends and techniques. Nevertheless, the rich culture of a place thrives in its soil and shares a profound bond with its people.

Eating With Fingers:

Eating with hands, I believe, is a great way to enhance this bond, which has been an ancient tradition in India. As the cloud of modernization drew over continents, consuming food with fingers has become a dying, misconstrued custom. Several apprehensive gazes will lay upon you if you eat with your fingers in a flamboyant hotel. But is it truly deplorable?

To give you an elementary vindication, eat with your fingers because what your fingers cannot bear, your palate certainly cannot!

Eating is more than a routine action to fill your tummy, it is a sensory experience that evokes emotion and passion. According to the Vedas, each finger has a special spiritual significance as it represents the elements of nature. Using your fingers to eat stimulates them. It also triggers the mechanoreceptors on the fingertips, thereby enhancing digestion as well as blood circulation.

While dining with Winston Churchill, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan was urged by him to use spoon and fork instead of his fingers to eat, for better hygiene. The maestro promptly replied that since nobody else could use HIS hands, this method was the most hygienic! So, why have a mediator to connect with your food?

Against all the differences, all of us choose to rise from a meal with a satiated hear than a satiated stomach.

Feed not only your stomach but your mind and soul too!