Culturally each country has its plus points
Japanese children are taught to bow before eating foods.
German people are fined in case they waste foods in restaurants and these people are carrying along the message to their homes about wastage of foods.
Eating foods with hands has been inculcated in our culture.
Our people are supposed to sit on floor, sprinkle water around foods served on leaves and eat with hands.
Fair enough.
There's lots to learn during changing times
Shortage of water tells us to save water
Washing hands before and after eating is okay and so is sprinkling water around food tray along with saying thank you God
Let's be concerned about the good points to eat foods because these practices have scientific reasons too.
Washing hands was promoted during covid times and it's not forgotten yet despite tissue papers available in plenty of time
We're mocked, because of us having innumerable bad manners while eating outside at restaurants and marriage or parties etc.
Order in bulk and get indecisive to finish it,there're lots of cuisines at parties, making our minds go mumbo jumbo to get our taste buds confused about the multiplicity resulting in full plate dumped in dustbin. It doesn't suit a country where masses maybe deprived of basic nourishment
We are giving the world chances to laugh at us
Accept it that eating with hands is just an excuse to make Indians cut a sorry figure.
Look within and decide about how much our plate needs to be full along with cutlery which can be made optional ( keep cutlery aside as unused because of wastage of water)
Stay focused on foods while eating and do look at plates of others which are finished without foods going to dustbins.
Learn a lesson from being mocked.
Neelam Nath
New Delhi
