Is eating with utensils better than eating with your hand?
October 21, 2016 12:48 PM Subscribe
Objectively speaking, is it better to eat with utensils than hands? If so, why?
About 2/3 of the world's population eats with utensils and 1/3 does not. Leaving aside social/cultural norms, is there any reason why eating with utensils is better than eating with hands? Is it cleaner, healthier? Should eating with utensils be considered more evolved for valid scientific reasons?
Let's assume that people wash their hands before eating with them, and that utensils are washed in a normal, everyday manner (i.e. not sterilized before each use).
About 2/3 of the world's population eats with utensils and 1/3 does not. Leaving aside social/cultural norms, is there any reason why eating with utensils is better than eating with hands? Is it cleaner, healthier? Should eating with utensils be considered more evolved for valid scientific reasons?
Let's assume that people wash their hands before eating with them, and that utensils are washed in a normal, everyday manner (i.e. not sterilized before each use).
"More evolved" is not a valid scientific concept at all, even when talking about a biological organism subject to natural selection, let alone when talking about a culturally-defined behavior, and really, neither is "objectively better".
At most you could maybe say that in a certain context, given certain patterns of hygiene and certain methods of food production, one or the other led to higher rates of foodborne illness and maybe somebody here can produce some research on that, but that's a very different thing from more evolved.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 1:00 PM on October 21, 2016 [11 favorites]
At most you could maybe say that in a certain context, given certain patterns of hygiene and certain methods of food production, one or the other led to higher rates of foodborne illness and maybe somebody here can produce some research on that, but that's a very different thing from more evolved.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 1:00 PM on October 21, 2016 [11 favorites]
Response by poster: Sorry, I shouldn't have used the word "evolved" since it has different scientific connotations. My question is, can any evidence point to one method being better than the other?
posted by yawper at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2016
posted by yawper at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2016
Best answer: If food is hot, it is easier to blow on it on the fork than try to pick it up. Also, food covered in sauce makes a mess of your hands, even if you have a tortilla or something.
Soup is complicated to drink if there's stuff in it; spoons are efficient. I don't really know how to eat long noodles with my hands, especially if they're in a soup or a sauce.
It is easier to sterilize a metal fork than it is my hands. I could also see the interactions of paper cuts and acid foods being a problem.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
Soup is complicated to drink if there's stuff in it; spoons are efficient. I don't really know how to eat long noodles with my hands, especially if they're in a soup or a sauce.
It is easier to sterilize a metal fork than it is my hands. I could also see the interactions of paper cuts and acid foods being a problem.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: What does "better" mean?
There are arguments to be made that eating with your hands is better, qualitatively.
I could imagine designing a study to determine if utensils help stop the spread of disease or something like that, but googling didn't bring one to my attention immediately.
Given that most people who "eat with utensils" also eat with their hands on occasion (certain monarchs excepted), I'm going to go with, it really doesn't matter. Sometimes utensils make things easier. Sometimes they don't.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:06 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
There are arguments to be made that eating with your hands is better, qualitatively.
I could imagine designing a study to determine if utensils help stop the spread of disease or something like that, but googling didn't bring one to my attention immediately.
Given that most people who "eat with utensils" also eat with their hands on occasion (certain monarchs excepted), I'm going to go with, it really doesn't matter. Sometimes utensils make things easier. Sometimes they don't.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:06 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Let's assume that people wash their hands before eating with them
But a lot of people don't! Also, there are things you can't eat with your hands like soup, and your hands get super messy and sticky if you pick up all your food which can be a huge pain. Like, if I want to eat, say, fettuccine alfredo or pad Thai or like a steak or something with my hands they're going to end up feeling greasy and unpleasant and you have to wash your hands before you touch anything else or you get grease spots all over everything. I tolerate getting sauce all over my hands when I eat ribs or wings but I wouldn't want that with every meal. It depends on the food and personal preference and I don't really think there's a such thing as "objectively speaking" here, but there are reasons people use utensils beyond just social norms.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 1:08 PM on October 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
But a lot of people don't! Also, there are things you can't eat with your hands like soup, and your hands get super messy and sticky if you pick up all your food which can be a huge pain. Like, if I want to eat, say, fettuccine alfredo or pad Thai or like a steak or something with my hands they're going to end up feeling greasy and unpleasant and you have to wash your hands before you touch anything else or you get grease spots all over everything. I tolerate getting sauce all over my hands when I eat ribs or wings but I wouldn't want that with every meal. It depends on the food and personal preference and I don't really think there's a such thing as "objectively speaking" here, but there are reasons people use utensils beyond just social norms.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 1:08 PM on October 21, 2016 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Often the difference is simply one of when things happen. That is, you can serve a diner large chunks of food, and have them carve them up themselves. Alternatively, you can have a culture where it's expected that a dish leaves the kitchen already in bite-size pieces.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:11 PM on October 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by kickingtheground at 1:11 PM on October 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
There may be practical reasons why one is better than the other at any given time (hot stews are hard to eat without utensils, apples are easier to eat without, to pick two random examples). The assumption that people can wash their hands and wash their utensils is not valid in many situations. But no, there's no biological or medical reason to prefer one over the other.
And honestly in most societies I've visited, most people eat with utensils sometimes and without at other times, depending on the food and situation. Ugali is eaten by hand in many parts of Tanzania. Rice in the same culture is eaten with a spoon. Burgers are often eaten with a knife and fork in the UK, sandwiches aren't. Cake is sometimes eaten with a fork, sometimes not. There's the whole sushi:chopsticks or hands? debate. I could go on. So it is down to personal preference and social norms, not level of evolveness.
posted by tinkletown at 1:11 PM on October 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
And honestly in most societies I've visited, most people eat with utensils sometimes and without at other times, depending on the food and situation. Ugali is eaten by hand in many parts of Tanzania. Rice in the same culture is eaten with a spoon. Burgers are often eaten with a knife and fork in the UK, sandwiches aren't. Cake is sometimes eaten with a fork, sometimes not. There's the whole sushi:chopsticks or hands? debate. I could go on. So it is down to personal preference and social norms, not level of evolveness.
posted by tinkletown at 1:11 PM on October 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
I find eating indian food with my hands to be greatly preferable in almost all cases, it took a while to learn to do it "properly" (I put it in quotes because if you ask Indians from different parts of india how to eat properly you will get varying responses, some would say to only ever use finger tips, others are fine with basically the whole hand touching food) but to me it adds to the experience (especially when eating something like a biryani where you have rice, meat, maybe a yogurt sauce and a spicy pickle/condiment, and mixing the whole mess together and getting even distribution is best achieved by really digging in). That said, it is intrinsically messy and things like picking up your phone or passing salt/pepper are complicated - though not impossible, especially if you eat with only one of your hands.
utensils are probably best for foods that are hard to handle, particularly liquids and, I suppose, extremely spicy or acidic things. watching thai folks eat is always interesting as they don't really use knives or chopsticks much, but many thai people were taught to eat with a fork and spoon, using the fork to manipulate food onto the spoon. I will always love the thai style shovel move when paired with an extremely wide opened mouth - the logic is that your lips are sensitive to the extreme heat of the chilies (nevermind what the chilies might do to parts of your body they cannot avoid touching).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:18 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
utensils are probably best for foods that are hard to handle, particularly liquids and, I suppose, extremely spicy or acidic things. watching thai folks eat is always interesting as they don't really use knives or chopsticks much, but many thai people were taught to eat with a fork and spoon, using the fork to manipulate food onto the spoon. I will always love the thai style shovel move when paired with an extremely wide opened mouth - the logic is that your lips are sensitive to the extreme heat of the chilies (nevermind what the chilies might do to parts of your body they cannot avoid touching).
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:18 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Even in our culture (usa), some foods are eaten with utensils and some are not. Most whole fruits are eaten in hand, fried chicken on a picnic, canapes, tacos, burritos, sushi, etc. I like to eat pizza with knife & fork, as I was taught in Italy, but most Americas use their hands. So it's not purely a cultural preference. If I get salad dressed on the side, I use my hands to dip lettuce et al. and eat it that way; if it's already dressed, I use a spoon (as the Greeks do) because stuff falls off a fork more easily. And on and on. Just do what seems right to you. I believe Catherine d'Medici was appalled at the table manners of the French and introduced them to the fork, after she married the king (may be apocryphal). I don't think you can decide one is "better" than the other.
posted by MovableBookLady at 1:21 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MovableBookLady at 1:21 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: No. It's entirely a cultural thing.
More likely, the whole question has to do with what types of foods are eaten and how they are served, and not anything objective at all. For example it's hard to eat soup without a spoon, so cultures where utensils are not used either don't have soups or only have pure-liquid soups which can be sipped directly from the bowl.
Similarly, Western-style serving styles which privilege having a full cut of meat on a plate require the use of a knife, while chopstick-using cultures present meat already cut into bite-sized pieces, and hand-using cultures present meat in a way that makes it easy to pick up with the hands.
Most hand-using cultures have strict rules of etiquette that require either ritual washing before meals or conformity to specific ways of using the hands. (For example food is to be touched only with the right hand, and dirty tasks are to be undertaken only with the left hand.)
posted by Sara C. at 1:23 PM on October 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
More likely, the whole question has to do with what types of foods are eaten and how they are served, and not anything objective at all. For example it's hard to eat soup without a spoon, so cultures where utensils are not used either don't have soups or only have pure-liquid soups which can be sipped directly from the bowl.
Similarly, Western-style serving styles which privilege having a full cut of meat on a plate require the use of a knife, while chopstick-using cultures present meat already cut into bite-sized pieces, and hand-using cultures present meat in a way that makes it easy to pick up with the hands.
Most hand-using cultures have strict rules of etiquette that require either ritual washing before meals or conformity to specific ways of using the hands. (For example food is to be touched only with the right hand, and dirty tasks are to be undertaken only with the left hand.)
posted by Sara C. at 1:23 PM on October 21, 2016 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Utensils often make it easier to eat. And often they keep your hands cleaner, meaning less sticky, less sauce under fingernails, less powdery items like spices or flour adhering, etc. I don't see a particular health benefit to utensils if hands are washed before eating.
I'd add that I love non-Western utensils like chopsticks (or the Ethiopian practice of using bread as a utensil.). Also, I ignore all utensils when eating things like lobster and crab, where I think fingers are the way to go. I feel no guilt or hygiene concerns.
posted by bearwife at 1:52 PM on October 21, 2016
I'd add that I love non-Western utensils like chopsticks (or the Ethiopian practice of using bread as a utensil.). Also, I ignore all utensils when eating things like lobster and crab, where I think fingers are the way to go. I feel no guilt or hygiene concerns.
posted by bearwife at 1:52 PM on October 21, 2016
Best answer: This sounds like one of those arguments my father would have with his wife where he'd argue that it was perfectly ok to not use soap in the shower and she would argue that it was gross. And at some level they were both right. He got clean, didn't smell, etc. But in the culture we lived in, it was a weird thing to do barring any real reason to do that (he had none, was just obstinate and liked these arguments).
So this is a question that doesn't exist outside of its cultural context at some level. As Sara C says. You could make a bunch of arguments about this or that perfect world (one where everyone washes, one where all the food is the right size, one in which everyone dresses entirely in napkins so mess is not an issue) but the only way you're going to get to an "evolved" answer is by bending the facts to fit. So yes, cultures that eat with utensils did, usually, go through a no-utensils phase. But that doesn't mean that everyone who doesn't use utensils isn't evolved, they may just have evolved their food culture in a different direction.
posted by jessamyn at 2:11 PM on October 21, 2016
So this is a question that doesn't exist outside of its cultural context at some level. As Sara C says. You could make a bunch of arguments about this or that perfect world (one where everyone washes, one where all the food is the right size, one in which everyone dresses entirely in napkins so mess is not an issue) but the only way you're going to get to an "evolved" answer is by bending the facts to fit. So yes, cultures that eat with utensils did, usually, go through a no-utensils phase. But that doesn't mean that everyone who doesn't use utensils isn't evolved, they may just have evolved their food culture in a different direction.
posted by jessamyn at 2:11 PM on October 21, 2016
It's extremely cultural - to me as a European, the American way of eating is totally bizarre, even though both are "Western". And foods are served to fit with the cultural norm. When I was a teen, and burgers first arrived in Europe, I couldn't imagine how a human being could eat that type of food in that manner. I went with my friends to the first Burger King, and ordered a meal, but gave up my food to a more adventurous friend. That was then.
Just the other day, we went as a family to an Indian restaurant. One of my daughters has spent time in India and has Indian friends, and without any thought began to eat with her right hand only, using the bread as a kind of spoon. She grew up with African, Asian, European friends, and is used to adapting her manners to the situation.
I did look at how my daughter ate the other day, and I do use chopsticks when eating at a Chinese restaurant, because I think the qualities of the different foods are enhanced by the manner of eating. I don't think there is a hierarchy of utensils. The hand-held Indian food we had was far more sophisticated than a steak and fries. On the other hand, the Western Haute Cuisine that mostly presupposes traditional cutlery is delicious and worth traveling for.
posted by mumimor at 2:30 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Just the other day, we went as a family to an Indian restaurant. One of my daughters has spent time in India and has Indian friends, and without any thought began to eat with her right hand only, using the bread as a kind of spoon. She grew up with African, Asian, European friends, and is used to adapting her manners to the situation.
I did look at how my daughter ate the other day, and I do use chopsticks when eating at a Chinese restaurant, because I think the qualities of the different foods are enhanced by the manner of eating. I don't think there is a hierarchy of utensils. The hand-held Indian food we had was far more sophisticated than a steak and fries. On the other hand, the Western Haute Cuisine that mostly presupposes traditional cutlery is delicious and worth traveling for.
posted by mumimor at 2:30 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
As others have pointed out, cultures that use utensils don't always use them. The "sandwich" is called that because an eighteenth-century Earl of Sandwich asked for a piece of meat between two pieces of bread so he could eat while playing cards without needing a utensil and without getting his cards and money greasy. (Fun fact: the current Earl of Sandwich is one of the founders of the eponymous American fast-food chain!)
Ethiopian cuisine is eaten with the hands, but with pieces of injera to pick up the food and sauce and keep the fingers clean. Eating with the hands doesn't necessarily mean getting them dirty. Conversely, in some settings, American food is supposed to get your hands dirty, such as rib or chicken joints that have rolls of paper towel on the table.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:40 PM on October 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
Ethiopian cuisine is eaten with the hands, but with pieces of injera to pick up the food and sauce and keep the fingers clean. Eating with the hands doesn't necessarily mean getting them dirty. Conversely, in some settings, American food is supposed to get your hands dirty, such as rib or chicken joints that have rolls of paper towel on the table.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:40 PM on October 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
Ostensibly a dishwasher does a better job of cleaning than hand washing can because it's longer, hotter, and done with more potent chemicals than is practical and/or safe to use on skin.
Hands routinely get exposed to more bacteria etc. during normal use than utensils that are usually stored. On the other hand, it also means that if they have bacteria growing on them, it has time to do so.
posted by Candleman at 2:43 PM on October 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Hands routinely get exposed to more bacteria etc. during normal use than utensils that are usually stored. On the other hand, it also means that if they have bacteria growing on them, it has time to do so.
posted by Candleman at 2:43 PM on October 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Food hygiene is a very complex issue, and our understanding of it is becoming even more rich and layered. The thing is, we live in symbiosis with a host of bacteria and other micro-organisms. The goal isn't to be rid of bacteria, but to be rid of the bad bacteria. You don't want your cook to forget to wash his hands after visiting the bathroom or to have a boil on her finger, and you want your raw salad to be washed before serving.
But we also need to eat some dirt - literally. And we have different levels of sensitivity: some people will eat from a food cart in a third world market and others will nix a well-known traditional restaurant if it's in a strange country. And maybe both parties are right: if you have never had the food-cart food, you may be vulnerable to unknown dieseases. Personally, every single time I've been food-poisoned has been at high-end restaurants, each time the reason has been that they have slacked because other issues have overruled food safety (politics, money, shame). I've never heard about anyone being sick because of a fork - or lack of a fork. But who knows?
posted by mumimor at 3:15 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
But we also need to eat some dirt - literally. And we have different levels of sensitivity: some people will eat from a food cart in a third world market and others will nix a well-known traditional restaurant if it's in a strange country. And maybe both parties are right: if you have never had the food-cart food, you may be vulnerable to unknown dieseases. Personally, every single time I've been food-poisoned has been at high-end restaurants, each time the reason has been that they have slacked because other issues have overruled food safety (politics, money, shame). I've never heard about anyone being sick because of a fork - or lack of a fork. But who knows?
posted by mumimor at 3:15 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If there was an objective answer, which I'm not sure there is, it would have to depend on your priorities.
For example, hand-eaten food - whether it's biryani or wat or a pb&j - is significantly easier to deploy to large groups without the logistical layer of eating utensils (or plates/bowls, for many of the stewed foods commonly served over bread in cultures that eat hot/wet food with the hands) or even tables, which knife-and-fork or fork-and-spoon methods more or less require. It can be eaten standing, sitting, or lying on one side, while walking or being transported, and it can be easily fed to or self-fed by children who don't have the motor skills for utensils yet, or the old or infirm who may struggle with shaking hands or insufficient grip for utensils.
For cultures whose hand-eaten food is stewed or steamed (a more portable cooking method than roasting, as well), the food is often easier to consume even without a full set of good teeth.
It's also easier to eat manually or with a bread assist from a communal serving of the food - if you're skilled at it - without sticking a saliva-covered tool into the contents. And by more people in a smaller space, as utensil-work generally requires putting the elbows out.
So if getting the most people fed under highly variable circumstances is what's important to you, or ease-of-use, maybe hand food is better. That doesn't necessarily make fork or chopstick food worse, just not as convenient for certain situations, much like how soup has never caught on at the movie theater and fried chicken is a little bit impractical for eating while you work.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:18 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
For example, hand-eaten food - whether it's biryani or wat or a pb&j - is significantly easier to deploy to large groups without the logistical layer of eating utensils (or plates/bowls, for many of the stewed foods commonly served over bread in cultures that eat hot/wet food with the hands) or even tables, which knife-and-fork or fork-and-spoon methods more or less require. It can be eaten standing, sitting, or lying on one side, while walking or being transported, and it can be easily fed to or self-fed by children who don't have the motor skills for utensils yet, or the old or infirm who may struggle with shaking hands or insufficient grip for utensils.
For cultures whose hand-eaten food is stewed or steamed (a more portable cooking method than roasting, as well), the food is often easier to consume even without a full set of good teeth.
It's also easier to eat manually or with a bread assist from a communal serving of the food - if you're skilled at it - without sticking a saliva-covered tool into the contents. And by more people in a smaller space, as utensil-work generally requires putting the elbows out.
So if getting the most people fed under highly variable circumstances is what's important to you, or ease-of-use, maybe hand food is better. That doesn't necessarily make fork or chopstick food worse, just not as convenient for certain situations, much like how soup has never caught on at the movie theater and fried chicken is a little bit impractical for eating while you work.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:18 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Forks gave us the overbite.
posted by gregr at 3:31 PM on October 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gregr at 3:31 PM on October 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
in all recorded time and in all places geographically,there are but these ways of eating
1. with your hands
2. with chop sticks
3. with silverware
a.medieval time knife
posted by Postroad at 4:12 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
1. with your hands
2. with chop sticks
3. with silverware
a.medieval time knife
posted by Postroad at 4:12 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
The above commenters are mostly right; they're both equally valid and it's just a cultural preference. There is one situation where utensils are clearly superior, though: OCD.
I'm acompulsive hand washer. I will wash my hands after I touch any food, even if it's not greasy or sticky or otherwise leaving residue on my hands. I just feel icky. So to avoid washing my hands, I eat with utensils as often as I possibly can, even for foods that are not traditionally eaten with utensils (e.g., French fries).
posted by kevinbelt at 4:54 PM on October 21, 2016
I'm acompulsive hand washer. I will wash my hands after I touch any food, even if it's not greasy or sticky or otherwise leaving residue on my hands. I just feel icky. So to avoid washing my hands, I eat with utensils as often as I possibly can, even for foods that are not traditionally eaten with utensils (e.g., French fries).
posted by kevinbelt at 4:54 PM on October 21, 2016
Best answer: I like the closing sentence of sparklemotion's linked New York Times article, a quote from chef Marcus Samuelsson: “ ‘Great’ does not have to mean one narrative, the European narrative.”
posted by spelunkingplato at 5:02 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by spelunkingplato at 5:02 PM on October 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
You really think it's gonna be better to eat ice cream with your hands? Or with chopsticks?
posted by oceanjesse at 6:01 PM on October 21, 2016
posted by oceanjesse at 6:01 PM on October 21, 2016
Best answer: If the ice cream is designed to be eaten that way, yes. This is why ice cream cones and popsicles on sticks exist, not to mention ice cream sandwiches and mochi. In these foods, it's "better" to not have to bother with a superfluous utensil, and culturally/socially acceptable to eat this way.
posted by spelunkingplato at 7:41 PM on October 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by spelunkingplato at 7:41 PM on October 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
Its much cleaner. I back pack a lot and might not be able to really clean my hands well for days. I try not to touch any of my food with them at that point. I'll eat with dirt on my hands but after days of sharing a tent with a dog who eats rodents, pooping in the woods, touching every and all things and sweating with no hot water and limited clean water period to wash up with (rivers and lakes are not clean), yeah, I want a fork or a wrap or something else touching my food and not my hands. Or at work handling wildlife or fish, or unknown plants. Giardia is real, yo. So are irritant or toxic plants, worms, flukes and other nasties. Getting intestinal baddies somewhere with no health care and no running water is bad news bears. Eating a sandwich with poison oak on your hands isn't good either.
There is a big ritual about cleaning up before sitting down to eat a home meal in most cultures for a reason.
posted by fshgrl at 12:21 AM on October 22, 2016 [3 favorites]
There is a big ritual about cleaning up before sitting down to eat a home meal in most cultures for a reason.
posted by fshgrl at 12:21 AM on October 22, 2016 [3 favorites]
About 2/3 of the world's population eats with utensils and 1/3 does not.
That's not even the real story. I eat burritos, pizza, french fries, sandwiches, and ice cream cones without any utensils. I eat soup, pasta, scrambled eggs, cake, and bowls of ice cream with utensils.
posted by aubilenon at 10:44 AM on October 22, 2016
That's not even the real story. I eat burritos, pizza, french fries, sandwiches, and ice cream cones without any utensils. I eat soup, pasta, scrambled eggs, cake, and bowls of ice cream with utensils.
posted by aubilenon at 10:44 AM on October 22, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 12:51 PM on October 21, 2016 [1 favorite]