Comments on: Want to Learn Indian Cooking? The One Thing You'll Need

By: Naomi

Naomi — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:54:47 +0000

In reply to Anne.

I’m left-handed and we lived in India for three years. My thought is that it’s TOTALLY understandable to eat with your left hand, but like Anne says you’re likely going to use a fork, not your fingers, so the cultural norm doesn’t really apply. Eating with a fork WITH your left hand isn’t the same thing 😉
Having said that, when we were out in a rural setting or with Indian colleagues of my husband — and there were no forks, I did eat with my right hand … in an effort to be respectful.

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:37:41 +0000

In reply to Lianne. Haha I wanted to like yours back. Thank you for reading and commenting!

By: Lianne

Lianne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:34:54 +0000

I want to like that response but I forget that everything is not Facebook. Thanks for the awesome responses, and I love reading your updates on here!

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:52:53 +0000

In reply to Lianne.

I hear you. It’s important to be culturally sensitive when we travel, but we all have our limits. Good for you for knowing what yours are. You would be fine…you can still go to India! Hooray!
I will absolutely cook you Indian when you visit, but only after you’ve had your fill of Mexican! And…I’ll ask that you please use a fork in my house 😉

By: Lianne

Lianne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:49:09 +0000

I’m sure there are lefties in India, but if it’s anything like the rest of Asia they might force people out of left-handedness (I won’t get started on that). It’s interesting because most of the time I agree about doing awkward/uncomfortable things to follow the culture you’re in, but this is one thing I feel strongly enough about that I wouldn’t do that. I know it seems silly to many, but it’s how I feel. Anyway, I like your options 2 and 3 and it seems I would do fine with them! Now, you’re going to cook me some Indian food when I visit, right?

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:07:05 +0000

In reply to Lianne.

Good point! I had never thought about this but you’re right (no pun intended)…and there must be lefties in India as well?
I think you know why they don’t use their left hand to eat…and I totally agree you shouldn’t be ashamed of being left-handed. If you should ever visit India, I would say you have three choices: you can, one, try your best to use your right hand to eat even though you’re not right-handed, as we all have to do things that are uncomfortable or abnormal for us to respect and fit in with a culture, even if we disagree. Two, you could use your left hand to eat and just offer an explanation if someone seems offended. From the Indian people I have met, they would likely laugh and understand. Three, you could just use a fork. 😉 I’d have to admit that’s what I did most of the time!

By: Lianne

Lianne — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:46:27 +0000

Cool post! One complaint. Normally, I am all for being culturally sensitive and aware, but I will not eat only with my right hand. I am left-handed and not ashamed of it. As for the reason why Indians only eat with the right hand, well, I’d be using the right hand to do what most Indians consider the left hand’s work, if I ever did that. Anyway, it may seem ridiculous to non-lefties but I feel very strongly about this sort of thing, and I actually do wonder if it would get me in trouble if I were to ever go to India.