Eating with Your Hands

Is there technique involved?

Some might think that eating with your hands means you can eat like a savage. I'm here to tell you that it's a major misconception.

There are certainly many bad examples of how to eat Indian food with your hands on social media and I'm disappointed every time I see them.

So, I made a three-course meal and used proper technique to eat it.

There is a specific technique to it and I was taught that very early on in my life. I was corrected compassionately every time I made a mistake to ensure I learnt the right way and didn't embarrass myself as an adult in public settings.

Guide to eating Indian food with your hands

1. The pinky finger is not heavily involved. Ideally, you only use your thumb, index and middle finger. The pinky figures serves as an assistant while picking up rice or tearing a piece of bread.

2. Use only the tips of your fingers. The food should not touch your palms. In fact, if it should not go beyond the crease of your second knuckle.

3. Your dominant hand is the only one involved in transporting the food from the plate to your mouth. Yes, this applies even when you're eating naan. The other hand is for touching the serve ware and your drink.

Bonus tip: The bite size is the same as it would be if you were using a fork and knife.

Does it make food taste better?

I don’t know if the food actually tastes better but I get immense satisfaction from eating Indian food solely with my hands, especially rice.

It's probably because that's what I did every day while growing up in Calcutta.

It's also because it allows me to mix all the components together well.

It may also be because I’m more in touch with the food you're eating. It allows me to be more present and relish each bite.

Try the no-cutlery approach the next time you're eating Indian food and tell me what you think.