Sometimes what is old news to you may be the strangest thing to someone very close to you. This can range from speaking habits, cultures, or even food. Food is treated differently in different parts of the world. Not only is it prepared differently, it may even be eaten differently, which my friend found out as I decided to take him to an Indian Restaurant. We took the 6 train down to 33rd street and started exploring. We found a neat little plce near 40th and 2nd called the Indigo Indian Bistro. I handled the ordering, and we ended up ordering chicken makhani (chicken in a butter tomato sauce, one of my personal favorites) and naan (Indian bread heated and made crispy in a clay oven). However, it was not the food that surprised my friend, but the method to the eating. I immediately started putting chicken on both our plates and took a piece of naan.
He started staring at me.
Me: What’s wrong? I asked.
Tom: Well… why are you eating like that?
Me: Whadyumean? (With a mouth full of food).
Tom: Why are you eating with your hands? Use the damn fork and knife!
Me: Hahahaha man that’s how we eat Indian food, I mean it’s ok to use forks and knives but traditionally most of us use our hands.
Tom: Dude I’ve never seen anyone eat like that… not gonna lie it’s kinda weird.
Me: Look around…
And sure enough, there were people eating with their hands, knives and forks left unused and sparkling on the side. Of course there were a few people using knives and forks, but where’s the fun in that?
And without another word, Tom started eating… with a knife and fork however.
I had not even thought that my friend would find my eating habits odd, but I guess that’s just one of those things you don’t think about until they happen. This was a cultural encounter for both my friend and I, as he learned something about Indian eating culture, and I learned that I needed to consider other people more if I am introducing them to something that they may not be familiar with. Even though Tom learned about Indian eating habits, he still used his preference. I didn’t mind that, because I could tell that at least now he understood why I was eating the way I was.
Credit: (cheeseyesplease.com)
A lot of times we take our various cultural customs and habits for granted. An experience, like this one, can open our eyes to our own culture and realize how unique our own customs are. I feel for your friend Tom here because never have I eaten Indian food before, and I probably would’ve had a similar reaction. The food, however, does sound really good and I’d love to try it in the future.
It’s always fun to experience the customs of a different culture, especially when it comes to food. I know I have this experience all the time. For me, one of the most memorable ones was when my friend taught me the proper etiquette of eating at a Chinese restaurant, like not to cross your chopsticks or to stick them in your food. It’s something I always remember because I found it really interesting.
Your story reminds me of the time my Indian friend came to eat Pho ( Vietnamese beef noodles) with me and was having a hard time because he was used to using his hands to eat and the only utensils that were available were chopsticks. I like how through this experience you also learned something that makes your culture distinct.
First of all, I want to say that I LOVE NAAN. It’s my favorite type of bread, despite that, interesting enough, I actually dislike the popular Chinese bread (mantou). I don’t know if you have been to this Indian place downtown (I don’t remember the name but you can get there by getting off at 2nd Ave on the F train), but it is amazing there! Food was great and service was splendid. Go there to celebrate a birthday, because one really friendly waiter will sing and dance for you!! It was a memory I will never forget. Also, now that I think back on it, I used my hand to eat the naan, yet usually I hate dirtying my hands when eating. I eat burgers with a napkin over it. It’s interesting to learn that the diversity in NYC really blinds us from realizing in actuality how distinct each culture is from each other when we experience it every day.