When I was a child, my mother would say “Don’t play with your food!” if she noticed me pushing food around on my plate. In England, one’s behaviour at the dinner table is expected to be reserved and rather formal, it would seem.
Here in India, things are different. It is normal to eat food not with cutlery but with the hands, the right hand to be more precise. And naturally, this process involves pushing food around, mixing vegetables with rice. The way the food is handled on the plate is reminiscent of an artist mixing colours on a palette. It is a gloriously messy affair.
In England, people see and smell and taste the food when eating. In India, people also feel the food. This physical contact adds another dimension to the sensory experience. We are feeling the texture of the food, its moistness and its warmth in our fingertips.
The best thing about eating with one’s hand, though, is that it encourages us to play with our food. And I have to say, Mum, that playing with the food of life makes for a very enjoyable day!
