Chile. In Chile, however, both hands should be kept off the table at all times. You can't touch your food with your hands, even if you're eating a sandwich, burger, pizza or chips. Everything must be consumed strictly with a knife and fork!
Exchanging money in the Middle East
And as in Ethiopia and India, it's considered rude to eat with the left hand in the Middle East. Make sure you know about these/hand gestures that are rude in other countries.
Eating with your hands is the norm in some countries of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. It might seem strange for westerners who are used to using utensils, but usually once a visitor tries “hand eating” they really enjoy it and say that the food tastes better!
Pushing your food with your fingers is akin to licking your fingers or chewing with your mouth open and, in many situations, you will be judged on the basis of that behaviour. Good etiquette is based on the circumstance and using your hands to eat is acceptable in many cultures and in some casual dining situations.
Eating. Since it is common for food to be cut in bite-size pieces, knives are rarely used when eating. People often eat with their hands. Restaurants may not provide utensils but instead place a water pitcher on the table so everyone can wash their hands before using them to eat.
Discretion and body language. Two things to avoid in this moderately conservative, Muslim region are public shows of affection (holding hands is OK, kissing is not) and drinking alcohol outside designated bars or clubs – even in resort areas frequented by foreigners.
When taking food, use your fingers to pinch the food into a clump at your fingertips (don't let it settle onto your palm). After taking a bit of ulam (the meat or vegetables) and rice with your fingers and thumb, use the your thumb to push the food into your mouth.
Eating using your hands is generally frowned upon. Western cultures see it as being unhygienic, barbaric, and taboo. However, in certain Asian countries it's a perfectly normal way of eating your food. This is especially true in the Philippines.
Kamayan (Tagalog for "[eating] with the hands"), also known as kinamot or kinamut in Visayan languages, is the traditional Filipino method of eating with the bare hands. It is also used to describe the Filipino communal feast (also called a salu-salo) where food is served on banana leaves and eaten without utensils.
In general, with the exception of a few fine dining and contemporary establishments, Italian restaurants aren't preset with bread plates. Just grab a slice with your bare hands and rest it directly on your placemat or tablecloth.
Using Your Hands
Firstly, you should only eat with your right hand. It is fine to break bread with both hands, but you should exclusively use your right hand to bring food and drink to your mouth. Secondly, it is considered polite to use only the thumb, index finger and middle finger to pick up food.
As in the west, using your fingers to eat is frowned upon at formal Chinese diners. But it is okay to hold your bowl close to your mouth and use your chopsticks to shovel in food. If you're a guest in a Chinese home, don't be surprised if your host chooses some delicacies for you, whether you want them or not.
Eating with fingers is not exclusive to South Asia. It is common to eat with one's hand in Ethiopian cuisine, Oaxacan cuisine, and many other regions of the Middle East, Africa, and South America.
6 China: Leave Food On Your Plate
This is the case in China. It's considered rude to eat everything on your plate because doing so implies that you're still hungry, even if you're not.
Always leave food on your plate in China.
That's not so in China. Finishing your plate when dining at someone's home in China suggests the food wasn't filling enough, and that your host was skimping on the portion size. Always leave behind a little food to show the host that their meal was filling and satisfying.
The Japanese consider it rude to leave food on your plate, whether at home or at a restaurant. It's related to one of the fundamental concepts in Japanese culture, mottainai, which is a feeling of regret at having wasted something.
Germans and other Europeans rarely eat with their hands! Especially in a fine restaurant or in a formal/semiformal dining situation, even pizza is eaten with a knife and fork. However, if you are at an outdoor Grillparty or eating informally, it's okay to eat some foods, such as hamburgers or hotdogs, with your hands.
The origins of this boil down to the convergence of colonialism and tropical climate. Despite the nation's proximity to China and Japan, chopsticks never took on with the population. The most economical way to eat was kamayan style, or with your hands, straight from a banana-leaf table runner.
The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people believed that our bodies are in sync with the elements of nature and our hands hold a certain power. Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements: Through the thumb comes space.
If your baby is chewing on their hands and fingers, they've probably "found" their hands, which is an early fine-motor and visual-motor skill. Once a baby has discovered their hands, they often become their new favorite playthings, and putting them in their mouth is a form of self-exploration.
The tradition of eating food with the hands is called kamayan meaning “with hands.” Kamayan is an ancient tradition in many areas of the Middle East because there is belief that eating with the hands rather than utensils has its benefits.
Eating with your hands improves blood circulation
Eating with hands is healthy, as it can prove to be a wonderful muscle exercise that may in turn help in increasing blood circulation. The hand's movements may assist in promoting a better flow of blood, thus positively affecting the overall well-being of the body.
The Etiquette of Hand-to-Mouth Dining
For starters, you should always eat with your right hand, as the left one is deemed unclean in Arab, Indian and African cultures. Your hosts might pass around a jug with water and a bowl to wash your hands in; a custom which is mainly common in African countries.
Filipino Spanish surnames
The names derive from the Spanish conquest of the Philippine Islands and its implementation of a Spanish naming system. After the Spanish conquest of the Philippine islands, many early Christianized Filipinos assumed religious-instrument or saint names.
Eating using your hands is the norm in Ethiopia, so it's obvious that that's the best way to enjoy traditional cuisine. Just make sure you only use your right hand, as the left hand is considered unclean in Ethiopian culture.