Where is the Indian chopstick?
January 7, 2011
I get asked about the Indian habit of eating without cutlery every once in a while.
Food is a sensory experience that must be enjoyed with all of the senses, in fact it’s the only experience that makes extensive use of the taste buds. This being the case denying oneself the pleasure of touching one’s food is a profound denial.
Indian food is designed to maximize the sensory overload. With all of today’s technology it’s difficult to imagine a single manmade tool that can as effectively wrap a chappati around liquid dal, or smear a crunchy dosai in chutney while warning you if the chutney is too coarse or the dal too hot even before the food has hit your mouth.
For a long time now I’ve desired to improve upon the chopstick by drilling a lengthwise hole through it to help with the bowl of soup after the noodles are long gone, but I don’t think I can improve upon the human hand.
