Why Do Indians Eat With Their Hands?

[P.J.]

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Why Do Indians Eat With Their Hands?

If you visit India or visit an Indian friend’s home, you’d probably be surprised to see people eating with their hand. Being a westerner, it is normal to wonder why they use their hand instead of spoons and forks. Some even find the practice to be annoying, unhygienic, uncultured, uncivilized, and perhaps even gross! But is it really so? Here are some reasons why eating with the hand is a better and safer way to eat. Read on!

Connecting with Food – We read so much about mindful eating and connecting with the food we eat, but are we really doing so? What better way to connect with the food than to eat with your hand! By doing that, you put the sense of touch to good use, feel the food, and understand its texture. It improves your consciousness of the food and helps you enjoy it completely

Type of Food – Some foods are best eaten with hands, don’t you agree? How does one eat chicken wings, burger, popcorn, pizza, or chips? With hands, of course! Similarly, certain types of Indian foods such as roti, dosa, idli, pani puri, and pav bhaji cannot be eaten with a spoon or fork.

Age-old Practice – Indians give a lot of importance to culture and tradition. Eating food using hands has been a practice since vedic days. In fact, hands are believed to be the conduits of five elements. If you visit South India, you will see that food is served on a banana leaf during special occasions. Ideally, people sit on the floor and use their right hand to eat food from the banana leaf. However, the practice of sitting on the floor is diminishing, but eating with hand still prevails and is preferred by everyone.


Hygiene – Food is not eaten with unwashed hands. It is a common practice to wash hands before touching the food and obviously after eating too. So that makes a person clean his hands at least six times in a day when having food, apart from other times.




An interesting story is said about a conversation between the then Indian President Dr. Radhakrishnan and the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. When they both sat down to eat, Churchill reportedly asked the president, “Why are you using your hands? Use spoon and fork, they are more hygienic." To this, Dr. Radhakrishnan reportedly quipped, “Since nobody has used my hand to eat before, my hand is more hygienic than any spoon you can find.” That being said, Indians do use spoons and fork whenever social circumstances or the type of food require them to.

So now that you know the reasons behind this practice, we know you wouldn’t give a questioning look the next time your Indian friend eats with his hand. If you’d like, do visit an Indian home and experience the warmth and goodness of eating with your hand!



Why Do Indians Eat With Their Hands? | ifood.tv

 

[renuka]

Dear PJ sir,

I have met many people even from villages from North of India who can not eat rice with their hands.

Once I was in Puttaparthi and these group of villagers from a village in Uttar Pradesh were asking for spoons to eat rice.

I was surprised..cos I thought its only Nortie from towns who cant eat rice with hands.

I wonder when they can eat Chapati with their hands why cant they eat rice with their hands?

BTW have you noted most Norties eat Chapati using both hands?

They hold the Chapati with their left hand and use their right hand to break it and eat.

But we can actually eat Chapati with right hand alone isnt it...like how we eat a Dosa.

 

[vgane]

Dear PJ sir,

I have met many people even from villages from North of India who can not eat rice with their hands.

Once I was in Puttaparthi and these group of villagers from a village in Uttar Pradesh were asking for spoons to eat rice.

I was surprised..cos I thought its only Nortie from towns who cant eat rice with hands.

I wonder when they can eat Chapati with their hands why cant they eat rice with their hands?

BTW have you noted most Norties eat Chapati using both hands?

They hold the Chapati with their left hand and use their right hand to break it and eat.

But we can actually eat Chapati with right hand alone isnt it...like how we eat a Dosa./QUOTE]

That is typical Punjabi snobbery..I have taken food from M.P/U.P and have seen them using hand while eating rice

Having said that use of cutlery is more common in North..Even a truck driver will use a spoon /Fork

South Indian items like Rasam or Sambhar ..it is difficult to enjoy the food without using the hand

North Indian use Basmati rice...It is good for making a Biryani which can be taken with a spoon

But try Sambhar with Basmati rice..South Indian rice (Boiled or Unboiled ) is many times better..

Also we would like to mash the rice &mix with Sambhar or Rasam which is impossible if you use some cutlery

But what we can avoid is licking our hand/forehand for the spilled Rasam or Sambhar or Payasam

That's why they say a Punju use a tip of finger while eating, a Maharashtrian uses his fingers...And South Indians enjoy food with fingers, palm and full hand!! LOL!!

 

[kunjuppu]

Dear PJ sir,

I have met many people even from villages from North of India who can not eat rice with their hands.

Once I was in Puttaparthi and these group of villagers from a village in Uttar Pradesh were asking for spoons to eat rice.

I was surprised..cos I thought its only Nortie from towns who cant eat rice with hands.

I wonder when they can eat Chapati with their hands why cant they eat rice with their hands?

BTW have you noted most Norties eat Chapati using both hands?

They hold the Chapati with their left hand and use their right hand to break it and eat.

But we can actually eat Chapati with right hand alone isnt it...like how we eat a Dosa./QUOTE]

That is typical Punjabi snobbery..I have taken food from M.P/U.P and have seen them using hand while eating rice

Having said that use of cutlery is more common in North..Even a truck driver will use a spoon /Fork

South Indian items like Rasam or Sambhar ..it is difficult to enjoy the food without using the hand

North Indian use Basmati rice...It is good for making a Biryani which can be taken with a spoon

But try Sambhar with Basmati rice..South Indian rice (Boiled or Unboiled ) is many times better..

Also we would like to mash the rice &mix with Sambhar or Rasam which is impossible if you use some cutlery

But what we can avoid is licking our hand/forehand for the spilled Rasam or Sambhar or Payasam

That's why they say a Punju use a tip of finger while eating, a Maharashtrian uses his fingers...And South Indians enjoy food with fingers, palm and full hand!! LOL!!

dear vgane,

the concept of using the left hand to hold the chappathi, i hear, is a british indian army tradition. the whites did not like using their hands to eat. all the liquid stuff like dhall or hard curries could be ladled with a spoon or forked. but the chappathi is a flat bread to be eaten by itself. so, came the tradition, to roll the chappathi and bite off it.

this was told to me by an college mate, who went to doon school

 

[prasad1]

I like what Vgeneji is saying in his post.
With north indian food even if you have to eat rice you can do it with using tips of your finger. With south Indian food you have to use your hand. some south Indians use a little too much of their palm and lick it afterwards, and that is awkward.

 

[P.J.]

Dear PJ sir,

I have met many people even from villages from North of India who can not eat rice with their hands.

Once I was in Puttaparthi and these group of villagers from a village in Uttar Pradesh were asking for spoons to eat rice.

I was surprised..cos I thought its only Nortie from towns who cant eat rice with hands.

I wonder when they can eat Chapati with their hands why cant they eat rice with their hands?

BTW have you noted most Norties eat Chapati using both hands?

They hold the Chapati with their left hand and use their right hand to break it and eat.

But we can actually eat Chapati with right hand alone isnt it...like how we eat a Dosa.

renukaji

certain items of food need using hand!!

— Obama, speaking to children whose recipes won them spots at the White House Kids' State Dinner on Tuesday, where Michelle Obama told them it was okay to eat with their hands.

Read more: Barack Obama Can Eat with His Fingers, Says Michelle | TIME.com Barack Obama Can Eat with His Fingers, Says Michelle | TIME.com


Here is the picture of President Obama eating nan with his hands

Picture: Google
​

 

[kanchankapoor]

Eating by hand has its different taste. Of course, if we are travelling abroad (specifically US, UK, Europe, Aus & NZ) then we should not have food by hand. There we should follow their culture.

But how can we have Idli Sambaar or Aalo ke Parathe by spoon & fork? Ohh....ridicules!!!

 

[rishikesan]

Whatever Is said about using hands ,for and against, I consider using hands which I.s a part of your body is but natural and as Dr. Radha had said No one else had used our hands. Besides we wash our hands and insist on children to do so as well. Above all like a Mother feeding the children and creating a close Bond cannot be compared to any other mode of feeding.while eating with hands , we do realise that we have total link and full coordination with mind, hand and the whole system , wh
Ich ensures ores red assimilation of food to get into the blood stream to make you healthy body as well as a healthy mind. You can be proud that Tamil Brahmins , by and large use hands , with no shame.Of course some items, we use necessarily Spoons Etc which is also normal.
Rishikesan
Bond

 

[renuka]

I have a doubt here..when I eat Thayir Sadam I eat it with a spoon cos its soft and mashed.

How do TBs eat Thayir Sadam?? With hand or spoon?

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Renu,

Visit Sing. Chennai once, please. You must see how the running rasam chAdham and mOr chAdham on banana leaf are eaten by folks,

with lot of peculiar sounds! I say NO to rasam on banana leaf but get it in a cup and drink. From a plate, I can manage to eat it.

A special technique is needed!

 

[vgane]

I have a doubt here..when I eat Thayir Sadam I eat it with a spoon cos its soft and mashed.

How do TBs eat Thayir Sadam?? With hand or spoon?

With hand of course..Try Thayir sadam with Avakkai or Vadu mangai..You will eat a big bowl of Thayir sadam effortlessly

Another side dish for Thayir sadam is Vetral Kuzhambu..Delicious!

 

[rishikesan]

why do Indians eat with hands?

I have a doubt here..when I eat Thayir Sadam I eat it with a spoon cos its soft and mashed.

How do TBs eat Thayir Sadam?? With hand or spoon?

Dear Ms Renuka,
I too , for the last few years, because of my indisposition, feel comfortable to make Thayir sadam in a small basin, & eat comfortably even on bed. same thing I cannot do on the dining table.
Right from childhood may be till you fetch a Job you never thought of eating with spoon or fork .When you are away from home & mostly in the last 2/3 decades, changes are taking place around us & we try to fall in line & adopt things which you feel comfortable & in U.S. our children getting employed, living alone , may be with friends ,belonging to current generation, would boast , taking any food item in every other possible modes except Vazai Elai. We use only individual stainless plates , at home . When guests visit, we buy plantain leaves . Let us not ridicule use of our own hands ( do we criticise about our Left hand use antime ?)

Sincerely
Rishikesan

 

[vishviyer]

All,

Our ancestors had a purpose in everything they did. They were exceptionally advanced spiritually and thanks to the Dravidian influence we try to be pseudo intellectual. Let me explain. In fact I feel ashamed to post in this forum that talks about why Ganesha has an elephant head etc by 'senior' incompetent members. Getting back to the point, in yoga mudras, the combination of thumb and little,ring fingers is Pranaya Swaha, then the next two fingers is Apanaya Swaha etc. How many of us practice this fundamental ritual before eating our meals. But all of us have an opinion about everything. Samanaya Swaha and Brahmans Swaha is done with ALL five fingers and we eat. Basic aim is to merge this Athma with Paramathma. As Maha Periyaval said to Ra. Ganapathi Anna, 'onakku onnum puriyathu, purinchikavum mudiyathu, sivanennu nee panna vendiyathai pannu'

Again, DO NOT question our ancestors. They are not idiots. If at all, we lack the understanding.

Vish Iyer MS FRCS
Very angry about some of the posts in this forum

 

[Haridasa Siva]

A Chinese co-guest in Beijing made a rather rude comment to me on a dinner, "You Indians eat with hands!" I replied to her that it depends on what we eat. I made a poser, "Isn't it better to use the natural spoons?" She did not say anything more.

Talking of hands, a white woman here in SA asked me, "Did you wash your hands?" when we were to shake hands. I shot back, "Is it that you don't wash yours?":boink:

 

[vgane]

I got to see this..Wonderful explanation given:

Have you ever thought of why previous generations in India ate with the hands? There is a reason for their this. The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people knew the power held in the hand.

The ancient native tradition of eating food with the hands is derived from the mudra practice, which is prevalent in many aspects within Hinduism. Mudras are used during mediation and are very prominent within the many classical forms of dance, such as Bharatnatyam.




The hands are considered the most precious organ of action. This is linked to the Vedic prayer of

“Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam”



(On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi, on the base of your fingers is Goddess Saraswati; in the middle of your fingers is Lord Govinda), which we recite whilst looking at our palms. Thus, this shloka suggests that all the divinity lies in human effort.



Our hands and feet are said to be the conduits of the five elements. The Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. Through the thumb comes space; through the forefinger, air; through the mid-finger, fire; through the ring finger, water and through the little finger it is earth.





Each finger aids in the transformation of food, before it passes on to internal digestion. Gathering the fingertips as they touch the food stimulates the five elements and invites Agni to bring forth the digestive juices. As well as improving digestion the person becomes more conscious of the tastes, textures and smells of the foods they are eating, which all adds to the pleasure of eating.




You may have noticed that elders in the family hardly ever use utensils to measure all the different type of masala, and would instead prefer to use their hands to measure the quantity instead. As each handful is tailored to provide a suitable amount for the own body. Overall there are 6 main documented forms that the hands take when obtaining a measurement a certain type of food ranging from solid food to seeds, and flour.
This is a prime example of how many things within Hindu culture may seem weird and unusual at first glance, but once a closer look is taken it is surprising, but a vast amount of knowledge is revealed.


Vedic wisdom behind eating with your hands,hindu human rights,vedic,hinduism,hindu,indian food,Ayurvedic | Hindu Human Rights Online News Magazine

 

[krish44]

suddenly this thread is alive after more than two months with beautiful photos of mudras and plantain leaf food

I prefer food on plaintain leaf and take it in my .south indian trips. but mostly in hotels if not in homes of people .

it is served in leaf in homes during occassions . i suspect ,it is to avoid dish washing headaches later

managing over flowing sambar , rasam is an issue . any smart fellow exposed to civil engg should know to dam it with rice and take it

if you go to woodlands in chennai , you can get tanjore food nicely served on leafs in mess upstairs

however it is served in plates downstair of the hotel with bowls and spoons at a higher rate with an additional soup thrown in for a wider clientele

in north, the locals take dosas for sambar thatcomes alongwith it . they take it in separate bowl with spoons

they are also charged for extra sambar refills. dosas are taken like rotis in northern style

dosas are very expensive in some upmarket south hotels

yet they are much in demand

 

[mskmoorthy]

Here is an article I read a while ago which may be relavant to the topic discussed here.
Is Everything More Delicious When You Eat With Your Hands? : The Salt : NPR

Here is the youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bePFDUMkc20

 

[sarang]

There was this tambram gentleman who made curt one liners for such questions.
1. Why this bharatanatyam lady lifts one leg? Ans: if she keeps both legs down, she is not dancing. If she lifts both legs she will fall down.
2. Why do you eat with fingers? Because they are mine, no one else can use and make it echchil.

 

[tbs]

hi

Why do you eat with fingers?

fingers are reusable......belongingness.....respect the food....more personal.....some physical exercise for fingers too....god given spoon...

 

[renuka]

hi

Why do you eat with fingers?

fingers are reusable......belongingness.....respect the food....more personal.....some physical exercise for fingers too....god given spoon...

Right now I am having my lunch and eating with a spoon so that my hands are free from food and I can type and log in forum as I eat.

So fingers get exercise typing!LOL

 

[Raji Ram]

suddenly this thread is alive after more than two months with beautiful photos of mudras and plantain leaf food
..........

You are right! This thread would have got 'Brahma mudichchu' on 10 - 5 - 2014!! :rip:

Given oxygen by Ganesh Sir in the last minute, to survive!!

 

[Raji Ram]

When people who are shy to serve themselves eat with us, I eat with a spoon.

This enables me to serve food needed by them, which otherwise they won't take! :hungry:

 

[vgane]

Out here in Delhi, at home we eat out of hands mostly unless there is some dhal or kheer that needs to be taken out of a bowl!

However in office or in public we eat food out of a spoon

Can we call this duplicity?

What is the likely reason for this?

In public places, we do not want others to look at us with awe! There may be clients, vendors who may like to know the identity of us in case we eat with hand! The Odd man out!!

I have a colleague who will eat only out of his hands in office too!!..May be the one in a million mentality!!!

He does not seem to bother about others!!

 

[Raji Ram]

Ram has a cousin sister who always wears costly sarees; no churidhArs / pant - shirt!

She has traveled to many countries and received many awards too.

She cooks in the typical old style - grinding in ammi and kuzhavi; pounding rice flour in ural and so on!

She is a very rich mine owner; never cares about what others comment about her age old methods!

 

[krish44]

Out here in Delhi, at home we eat out of hands mostly unless there is some dhal or kheer that needs to be taken out of a bowl!

However in office or in public we eat food out of a spoon

Can we call this duplicity?

What is the likely reason for this?

In public places, we do not want others to look at us with awe! There may be clients, vendors who may like to know the identity of us in case we eat with hand! The Odd man out!!

I have a colleague who will eat only out of his hands in office too!!..May be the one in a million mentality!!!

He does not seem to bother about others!!

VGANEji
You are dehi based
Have you been To andhra bhavan in delhi

you can see from legislaters to most ordinary folks how people of diverse south indian backgrounds and some northies eat

the food is unlimited and not expensive because of govt subsidy .

some foreign tourist on budget also land up

no one thinks whether people eat using spoons or with hands in a public place

when it comes to food people want food at reasonable price .and do not care about spoons or hands

may be at five star hotels ,it might be an issue

in foriegn countries , in various eateries ,I have eaten caring too little aboutwhat people would think

It is our food we have paid for , we shall eat the way we want

take it or leave it

if we lose our image or business ,so be it