All across countries and places, cuisines and recipes differ and one thing that also changes is also the way one eats their food. China and the Eastern Asia rely on chopsticks. The South Asian counterparts consume their food either with fork & spoon or using bare hands. From India moving west to the Middle East and north of Africa you see people using their hands for eating. Europe, America and Australia rely on fork and knife for their meals.
The way one eats their food in the comfort of their home can make you guess the background (which place) the person is from. It is always good to eat with your right hand and it is the sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saw). However while travelling when you are faced with different situations, you may need to use forks, spoons, chopstick.etc. Even when you use them, it is recommended to always use the right hand for putting food into the mouth. Coming from a varied background, ancestors originated from India, settled in Bangkok and an aunt who is Chinese, our dining table affair always had a feeling of mixed culture.
And so the classic question arrived? How do we eat our food? Before I divulge my little secret let me enlighten you more over my table manners. In the house when Parota (a crispy Indian bread) was served with chicken Korma, I used my bare hands. In school for lunch, it was always fork and spoon. When indulging in my noodles in a kiosk nearby I always use the chopstick. While out eating Pizza’s and Salads it was always fork and knife. I used to feel a great sense of dexterity while using the fork and knife for it was a difficult skill that I have struggled to acquire unlike the rest. Nonetheless, by the age of 7 perhaps, I was master of them all. Thanks to my cross cultural background and strategic location!
On my journey to learn these traits I have many at times broken the rules, e.g. Eating Pizza with hands, noodles with fork, Indian food with spoon, Thai food with hands etc. And you all have to count my words for this fact “The Food taste best when you eat them the way they are supposed to be eaten” The food taste best when you eat Indian food with hands, Thai food with a spoon and fork, Pizza’s and Italian dishes with a knife and fork, Noodles ALWAYS with chopsticks. After discovering this secret on my food journey, I try my best not to break the rule and eat the food the way is meant to be eaten. Always. Always.
So the next time you are faced with a situation that does not allow you to eat with your hands (accordingly to the sunnah), pause a second and think of which region is the food from? And how do they eat the dish in their native country? And eat like the natives. Trust me the meal would taste better! Bon Appetit! Written by: Jasmine Ariff
