Sarah DiGregorio writes in The New York Times. “Now, several high-profile chefs are asking diners to get their hands dirty, in the belief that it heightens the sensual connection to food and softens the formality of fine dining.”
Would you eat with your hands? Do you think it increases the connection with food?
I’ll happily eat with my hands if the type of food I’m eating is suitable to be eaten by hand. I don’t think it increases/decreases the pleasure of eating at all, though. This sounds like another one of those gimmicks, like eating in the dark.
There is no way I could manipulate a knife and fork, or chopsticks, with my feet.
I’m Sicilian; of course I use my hands. If I eat pasta with my feet, it makes my socks turn orange.
Is that a real thing? They had it on an episode of “The League” and I thought they made it up as a joke.
I can’t imagine it in a fine dining setting, but there are few pleasures as wonderful as the feral experience of ripping into a good steak (pig, cow or deer will do) that’s just been cooked over a campfire, nice and browned on the outside and juices dripping down your chin. Yeah, it tastes better than with a fork (plus it’s hard to juggle steak knives when you have no table to cut on.)
It depends on the food. I eat pizza with my hands, of course; hummus, too. Other food, though… we’ll, I’ll use my hands to stuff my mouth with leftovers after my wife has gone to sleep, but around the table? No thanks.
Indian food is often eaten by hand. I hate eating by hand. I’m very good at eating with only one hand and keeping one clean (to pick up the drink, etc.) And I wipe my hands constantly and use a lot of napkins.
I hate the feeling of getting my fingers dirty.
Pizza has a convenient handhold.
Never. I hate eating with my hands. I don’t even eat pizza or popcorn with my hands unless absolutely necessary. It certainly doesn’t improve the experience to get my hands dirty.
Some food is suitable for eating by hand, some is not. I don’t like getting my fingers dirty either, but people who eat a hot dog on a bun with a knife and fork make my ass itch.
I once ate at a Moroccan restaurant, and all the food was intended to be eaten with the hands. The waiter brought out one course which looked like a large pastry about 12" across, filled with meat and vegetables. I asked him how we should eat it, and he took my hand and jammed my fingers into the pastry; “Like that!” he replied.
When traveling I grew quite accustomed to eating strictly with my hands, in India and sometimes Muslim countries. I quite liked it, actually.
Whenever I eat curry I want to use my hands, but I restrain myself, as I’m back home now.
Except at my house, then I just have at it whenever the feeling strikes.
(I assume we’re not speaking of ribs, corn on the cob, hot dogs, hamburgers?)
I really don’t know what to say.
What’s your method of eating popcorn? I’m imagining you picking it up kernel by kernel with chopsticks…
I’ve done the south Asian thing with rice and sloppy curry (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal) and though I really tried, I just couldn’t get myself to enjoy it that way. I do the pinch-it-with-a-bit-of-naan with curries, which I like, but getting sauce all over my hands still feels gross. Years of being admonished by parents becomes imprinted, I guess.
Okay, I’m gonna try this. Today’s lunch is chicken noodle soup. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out.
Perhaps they do what I do - shove my tongue deep into the box and see how many stick to it.
I suspect a large funnel might be involved.
But then if you’ve got food all over your hands, you can’t scratch your ass without staining your pants.