[DianaR]

I know that Poi is eaten with your fingers, if you want to fit in at a Luau, and you shouldn't cut spaghetti or fettucini while eating it, but there have to be some really unusual customs surrounding meals.

What are some of the most unusual eating customs? What countries have the strangest?

I am just dieing to know!

[Tujunga]

I think the fact that most mid eastern muslims use thier hand to wipe thier rear ends and then eat with those hands is kind of wierd.

[DianaR]

Originally Posted by Tujunga

I think the fact that most mid eastern muslims use thier hand to wipe thier rear ends and then eat with those hands is kind of wierd.

I thought it was the left hand that was used, if at all. They use water instead of toilet paper, you know.

I guess Couscous might be a risky dish if you are with the Bedouin for a week, though!

[twocents]

Originally Posted by Tujunga

I think the fact that most mid eastern muslims use thier hand to wipe thier rear ends and then eat with those hands is kind of wierd.

You should really find out about a custom before you make statements that come off like this one did. First of all, muslims only eat with the one hand, they find it weird that we use both our hands to eat and do other things with since they consider one of their own hands unclean.

[Ricardo]

I've eaten meals with a coworker who'd travelled quite a bit.

I'm not exactly sure where he picked up the custom of eating with his hands, but he ate rice, meat and cooked vegetables with his hand.

The topper was that he also ate a dish of ice cream using his hand.

[Coda1108]

I don't think this qualifies as weird, but it was pointed out to me in New Zealand that in NZ people use their forks with the points down, whereas in the US people use them points up, more like a spoon.

[DianaR]

I had a friend who had been raised in the UK, while I was in high school. She was the first person I had ever seen eating with both her fork and knife at the same time. It was fascinating.

[skatss]

I saw a program where a woman went to an Ethiopian Restaurant and she was told that the custom in that country is that you are hand fed the first few mouthfuls of food by your dinner companions.

In one way it sounds like a wonderful way of showing friendship, but in another way, I don't like other people feeding me or touching my food!

You are also supposed to belch in China to show that your meal was a good one. That makes sense to me too, but I don't know if I can do it even if I tried.

Though it isn't exactly strange, I also have seen European people eat with the prongs of their utensils pointing downwards. I think it looks classy!

[bubble]

Originally Posted by DianaR

I had a friend who had been raised in the UK, while I was in high school. She was the first person I had ever seen eating with both her fork and knife at the same time. It was fascinating.

I am English and eat with both my knife and fork at the same time, I thougt that was what most people did, how do you eat? Well at least you find me fascinating!!!LOL!!!

[DianaR]

Originally Posted by skatss

I saw a program where a woman went to an Ethiopian Restaurant and she was told that the custom in that country is that you are hand fed the first few mouthfuls of food by your dinner companions.

In one way it sounds like a wonderful way of showing friendship, but in another way, I don't like other people feeding me or touching my food!

You are also supposed to belch in China to show that your meal was a good one. That makes sense to me too, but I don't know if I can do it even if I tried.

Though it isn't exactly strange, I also have seen European people eat with the prongs of their utensils pointing downwards. I think it looks classy!

We went to an Ethiopian restaurant here and there were no utensils. Bread was used to pick up the food and get it to your mouth.