Finger Foods

DB and I ate out tonight and he ordered ribs. He usually eats his fries with a knife and fork, but I felt he went too far when he tried to eat the ribs with a knife and fork!  I told him it was sacrilege and took away his fork and knife. It was torturous for him! He couldn't stand getting his hands messy.

He tried telling me that you're not supposed to eat fries/chips with your hands, but I asked the waitress and she sided with me! She said it'd be even worse to cut the fries before eating them, to which he got embarrassed because he does that.

What do you consider a finger food? Is there anything you see people eat with utensils that seems strange to you?

Come to Japan.. where many people will eat pizza with chopsticks.  I haven't watched people eat fried chicken, but I imagine they'd use chopsticks for that, too.

Pizza and fried chicken = finger food.

How do you eat pizza with chopsticks? 

They pick up and then hold the slice with the sticks. 

They pick up and then hold the slice with the sticks. 

I was picturing them trying to fold it over and eat it with chopsticks. I would still think it takes skill to eat a slice of pizza with chopsticks! Very good balance they must have.

took away his fork and knife. It was torturous for him! He couldn't stand getting his hands messy.

He tried telling me that you're not supposed to eat fries/chips with your hands, but I asked the waitress and she sided with me! She said it'd be even worse to cut the fries before eating them, to which he got embarrassed because he does that.

Awww, poor guy. 
You shouldn't have embarrassed him like that... especially getting the waitress involved!
But maybe he needs to make more of an effort to eat the way the Americans eat while he's over there.

I'd use a knife and fork on fried chicken, but not on pizza. As for chips - I suppose it depends on where it is. If it's fish & chips somewhere casual, then I'd definitely use my fingers. But if it's pommes frites in a posh restaurant, then I'd use my knife and fork.

I kind of understand your DB, though, Belita. I hate getting my fingers messy too! I go through LOADS of napkins if I have to eat something without cutlery. And that's sort of odd since my Dad's side of the family is Muslim and they eat just about everything with their fingers.

Good for you, Belita.  Just like we Yanks have to learn all these little things, he will have to as well.  Ribs!  You can't eat them with a fork.  Okay fries, I can live with.  I had some yesterday and used a fork.  But ribs!

When we first moved to London, DH and I went to this Indian restaurant on Brick Lane.  When we are at home and in India, we generally eat most if not all Indian food with our hands.  So DH is using his hands in this restaurant and there was this table of young girls who just kept staring at him and whispering like he was committing a crime.  I was so annoyed with them. 

I think eating with your hands in certain societies is part of the experience. 

my friend that i went for a curry with last weekend eats curries with his hands (uses naan bread to scoop it up) and people always stare at him.  I'm used to it!

my friend that i went for a curry with last weekend eats curries with his hands (uses naan bread to scoop it up) and people always stare at him.  I'm used to it!

When I'm with my Dad's family and I use a knife and fork to eat my curry with, I'm the one who gets the weird looks! I'm used to that too!

my friend that i went for a curry with last weekend eats curries with his hands (uses naan bread to scoop it up) and people always stare at him.  I'm used to it!

Wow, I've never had anyone in London stare at us for using our hands.  Then again, I guess we don't eat that often in Indian restaurants or when we do, they're so Indian that everyone is also using their hands!

I don't like to eat with my fingers really.  It's why I've never eaten ribs in my life.  I just wouldn't even want to attempt that.

obviously the staff thought nothing of it, but it was the posh-looking punters at the other tables that kept looking over.  He really gets into it... elbows up in the air, face nearly down on the plate, rice flying everywhere...

ribs are definitely finger foods, as are fries and pizza.
curry is mostly finger food for me- if I'm eating it with roti or naan bread, it's fingers only.  But if I'm eating rice with the curry, I'll switch to a fork.   It's not weird to me, because curry as finger food is normal in the country that my family is from (which is heavily influenced by indian cooking!)

I dislike touching food with my hands, as a general matter. I dislike the gritty feeling of food on my fingers. That said, there are some foods where there really isn't much option. Potato chips (crisps). Ribs.

And I bought swallowed my tongue to watch DF and his mom eat pizza with a knife and fork.