Culinary Poll #28: Eating With the Fingers

[Carrie L.]

Shel's list could be mine verbatim. Also add a few of JC's, such as sandwiches, chips, cookies/brownies.
Two of my favorite things in the world are BBQ ribs and chicken wings. I wish one of these healthy-eating organizations would discover that they are good for us.

[Vincenzo di N]

Hy,
my first post on this and the reason for me here is my respect towards Daniel Rogov. His articles and books guided me at my arrival to Tel Aviv where I had the privilege to live for two years and where I had wondeful experience with the incredible dynamics of the local restaurants. Still now that I moved to Sarajevo (Bosnia) (three months ago) I read the critics from Haaretz. Thanks
But I should say something about the food for fingers (which is obviously not fingerfod). The use of fingers connects me to any kind of street food, local and often poor cuisines as in the traditions of any area. It is like we were at a certain point forced to the use of cutlery. But anytime we can we go back to our original resources, the fingers. Even when it comes to luxurious food such as lobsters, oysters or seafood. It is still food to be eaten with the fingers. At least, you must do that in Normandie or on some Varadero beaches or in my streets in Napoli, where you can grab even octopus with your fingers. And, just to close, the classic image from the southern italian iconogrophy is a carnival mask (Pulcinella), who is always represented while eating spaghetti with pomodoro sauce. Of course, using his...starving fingers...

[Daniel Rogov]

Vincenzo, Hi.....

First of all, welcome to the forum. Second, thank you for the kind words.

Best
Rogov

[Paul Winalski]

Frites, barbecued ribs, and southern fried chicken.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

How about Ethiopian food, Rogov? Or does the injera bread count as an edible utensil? I would add tacos and quite a few other non-Western ethnic foods. And wings, of course, and Southern fried chicken.

One pedantic note, if you'll forgive me ...

Jerked beef, pork or chicken

The Jamaican "jerk" is not a verb, it's a noun. Properly it's "jerk beef," "jerk chicken," etc.

From http://www.JamaicaTravelAndCulture.com:

There are two commonly held theories regarding how the name "Jerk" came to be used. One is that it originates from the Spanish word "Charqui", used to describe dried meat. Over time this term evolved from "Charqui" to "Jerky" to "Jerk". Another theory is that the name derives from the practice of jerking (poking) holes in the meat to fill with spices prior to cooking. Nowadays, the word "Jerk" is used as a noun to describe the seasoning applied to jerked food and as a verb to describe the process of cooking used.

[Matilda L]

Vincenzo:
the classic image from the southern italian iconogrophy is a carnival mask (Pulcinella), who is always represented while eating spaghetti with pomodoro sauce. Of course, using his...starving fingers...

That made me sit up and take notice! A cafe I used to frequent on Rundle St East was decorated with Italian 'retro' posters for wines and aperitiva. One of the posters showed Pulcinello eating a plate of spaghetti and sauce with his fingers. I hadn't realised it was such a classic image.

(The cafe has now changed hands and has been redecorated in sleek steely colours. I wonder what happened to the old posters?)

[Matilda L]

Robin:
How about Ethiopian food

There's an Ethiopian restaurant round the corner from a friend's house - we keep saying we must go there. I've heard that if you order a 'banquet' for a group, it comes out with all the different dishes heaped up on a big circular platter, everyone is given a large round of unleavened bread for a plate, and you eat with your hands, tearing off bits of your flatbread and using it to scoop up food from the platter and convey pieces to your mouth. I've also heard the food is very tasty. I've enjoyed other Ethiopian food I've eaten so I'd love to try the full 'hands-only' experience.

[Vincenzo di N]

Matilda,
when you go to have the injera bread with the meal, just be prepared to a more than a largely generous amount of garlick into the stew. At least, it is like that in the only good Ethiopian/Eirtrean restaurant we have in Rome.

[Matilda L]

Vincenzo, it's not so much "be prepared" as "anticipate with pleasure". Love that garlic!

[Daniel Rogov]

Is there life without (a) garlic; (b) olive oil; (c) butter.......?

And oh yes....also with the fingers - garlic confit, pop into the mouth with the fingers and then, quite delicately, to remove the skin of the garlic also with the fingers.

Best
Rogov

[Vincenzo di N]

garlic, oil....what about a slice of quickly grilled all wheat bread, a garlick clove rubbed on it and generous olive oil (that tender and fruity from tuscany)...?
or add to these, some diced fresh tomato (as Pepe Carvalho loves)..
and just let the oil dripping on your fingers

[Shel T]

Maybe what should be done in this thread is to expand and amplify the 'finger' thing and note that many cultures and ethnic cuisines, beside Ethiopia, are eaten almost in whole and great part with fingers.
Several examples come to mind like India, Sri Lanka, Morocco, the Middle East in general, Tahiti and Polynesia, including Hawaii, Indonesia, Java and Bali, Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia et al in that part of the world, Mexico and of course the U.S. where fast food rules, most all of which is eaten with fingers.
And did the Earl of Sandwich have any idea what he started!

[Carl Eppig]

But poutine is not something you see in many parts of Canada . For a lot of us it is just regular old french fries -- no cheese

Ruth, maybe in many parts of Canada, but it is relatively commen here in New Hampshire, particularly in the Merrimack Valley. There is one restaurant in nearby Rochester that serves it. We have a huge population of Franch/Canadians in this area.

Carl (eating poutine with a fork)