Fahim eats with his fingers.

This is not, in fact, news. I’ve mentioned it before. Perhaps I should state it again?

Okay.

Fahim eats with his fingers.

Sri Lankans do. It’s not just Fahim, it’s everybody. And it’s not just Sri Lankans – it’s many people in Asia.

And there are, oh, practices and forms to take into consideration.

Like the food should not reach past the second knuckle.

When eating lunch or dinner, which is usually rice, a vegetable curry, and a protein curry, Fahim will mix it around a bit, mash it a bit, merge some flavors, all with his fingers. Oh, and I should be really specific.

This is all done with the right hand only. And the right hand is always washed prior to eating. I actually call out to Fahim “Honey, time to wash your hand.” Singular. 🙂

In this and many other Asian cultures, the left hand is for washing – ie, bathroom procedures. The right hand is for eating. Hence the big deal about thieves having their right hands cut off. It cut them off socially from eating with others.

Right.

Then Fahim will grab some food and form a scoop with his fingers, then shove it into his mouth using his thumb. This is typical procedure. And it takes some practice to not be totally messy, but on the other hand, it certainly makes eating certain types of food much easier. Like bony chicken. Let’s face it, you can use knife and fork, but then there’s all sorts of stuff you leave behind. You can grab it in your hand and chomp away like at a backyard barbecue. Or you can do it the Asian way – pick the meat off the bones with your right hand.

Fahim eats everything that he can without cutlery. This is a given. I have no choice but to accept it and move on. 🙂

Yeah, but this is what he’s like at home. At a restaurant, he’ll use cutlery. He’s not really ape man even though he’s hairy enough.

But JELLO?

C’mon. Ya gotta be kiddin’ me!

Yeah, I’m kiddin’ you.

He didn’t ditch the utensils – that is, in this case, a spoon – until the very end. Then he starts mopping it up with his fingers.

Could be worse. He could just stick his face in it and lick it directly. Like some people I know. (Hi Tony and Andy!) 🙂

Author: LMAshton
Howdy! I'm a beginner artist, hobbyist photographer, kitchen witch, wanderer by nature, and hermit introvert. This is my blog feed. You can find my fediverse posts at https://a.farook.org/Laurie.

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