Using there fingers to eat

[stevewool]

I think I know why they do this , maybe because they don’t know how to use a knife or fork , yes they can use a spoon when it suits them for cutting up meat and scraping out bone marrow.

Take Ems , she can sit there eating a meal using a knife and fork and the clanking ,scraping, scratching noises coming from the plate is deafening, yet when she uses her fingers it’s silence , well near silence , I still get the slurps and smacking of the lips to contend with , just wondering is it just me or do other partners do this too.

[Viking]

My wife only use her hands if we eat unpeeled prawns, chicken wings, pizza slices and similar things. At least when we are in Sweden. When we are in the Philippines, she eats rice with her hands sometimes.

[Clermont]

Thanks Steve, I thought I had the only traditional Filipino still eating with her hands,

[Joe LP]

My ex wife(Filipina) was raised by a very strict "den mother" who "raised her to be a lady".  This wife came from a set of parents who went to some of the finest parties in Manila.  She has pictures of Cardinal Sinn passed out drunk in her parents back yard with her dad and the local mayor.  

This ex of mine was taught to walk like a lady, hold herself like a lady, and eat like a lady.  It was awesome, and funny to see her move and even just stand.  Shoulders back, prim and proper, and at the same time, witty as can be.  But, she used silverware whenever possible, and when she was "forced" to use her hands, it was yet another spectacle to watch.  But that's yet another story.

The first wife I had(also Filipina taken by cancer way too young) actually went to college in the USA(where I met her) and she embraced the American culture.  Eating with her fingers was natural but she also was shy and barely made noise. 

Now to the wife I am with now  She had zero issue eating with fingers.  But she hates, and I mean hates it and makes it known how bad it is if we lick our fingers.  It still makes me laugh.  She LOVES KFC.  I told her that their old slogan was finger lick'n good.  She did not believe it till I proved it via internet search.  Now she is a little more quiet when we visit a KFC as our son uses it as a reason he can lick his fingers.  So, my wife can eat with her fingers with the best of them, but licking those same fingers is a huge no no.  :)  But she does eat very quiet.

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Joe LP

[Mike J]

My wife mostly uses flatware but will use fingers when eating with family, all of whom eat with fingers.  I recall the two of us at a rather fancy catered dinner following a wedding.  Beside each plate was a plastic bag.  I said to our table; "we even have take home bags".  My wife laughed and told me that was to put over your hand while eating.  The folks around us all had a good chuckle, including myself.    Some used the flatware, some used the bags.

[BrettGC]

AM is a chameleon in this respect.  She's spent enough time living and working in the West to know what's appropriate there and in Western company, or even out at a local restaurant. At home it's full traditional Filipino though to a point; cutlery is used where it's needed and sometimes even when it's not.  

I have to admit despite all the time I've spent wandering SE Asia and the Sub-Continent, I still have a little chuckle at larger family gatherings when I see and hear the antics. My poor old mum would be mortified. 

[RBM]

5 hours ago, Viking said:

My wife only use her hands if we eat unpeeled prawns, chicken wings, pizza slices and similar things. At least when we are in Sweden. When we are in the Philippines, she eats rice with her hands sometimes.

How do you eat cake and, or, biscuits?

[Clermont]

4 minutes ago, RBM said:

How do you eat cake

Picking your post: have a look at where he's from, a bloody cake fork. 

[JJReyes]

With the introduction of McDonalds "burgers & fries" and Kentucky Fried Chicken "finger licking good", Americans started following the Philippine tradition of eating with their fingers.  Except Americans don't wash their hands first, unlike Filipinos.  After the meal, Americans use paper napkins instead of washing their hands with soap and water.  Filipinos are more hygienic.  

[Jack Peterson]

 From the net;

What nationalities eat with their fingers?

The sound of the appalam cracking in my hand reminds me of the same crunch in my grandparents' home. Eating with fingers is not exclusive to South Asia. It is common to eat with one's hand in Ethiopian cuisine, Oaxacan cuisine, and many other regions of the Middle East, Africa, and South America.