How the West Deemed Eating With Your Hands “Uncivilized”

I love the crunch of urad dal and mustard seeds popped in hot oil. I love when grains of rice, made yellow with turmeric and tangy with lemon juice, move from my fingers to my tongue. I savor the sambar, how my fingertips are pruned by the time dinner comes to a close. Across Ethiopia, Oaxaca, the Indian subcontinent, and beyond, eating with your hands is a common practice — even sacred. The science even shows that it makes food taste better.

Yet, many in the West view it as “uncivilized,” “unhygienic,” and even “cannibal.” Never mind that utensils are a relatively new invention. Or that most Americans eat pizza, burgers, and sandwiches — you guessed it — with their hands. So why so much disgust for a tradition as old as time? And how did South Asia resist the temptation of utensils?