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This is relevant beyond food. Most "western" meals involve food preparation that anticipates forks and knives being present. This doesn't happen in, for exampl

This is relevant beyond food. Most "western" meals involve food preparation that anticipates forks and knives being present. This doesn't happen in, for example, Chinese cooking where food is cut into small pieces prior to cooking. Or in the NE of Thailand where traditional foods are eaten with sticky rice balled up as a makeshift utensil. The food preparation anticipate the end user's utensils. Much like application development. The iPhone anticipates... fingers. Android anticipates fingers but also expects the user the know/learn about the home/menu/back buttons. I'd say this is more akin to expecting the user to have chopsticks. Both are simpler that traditional knife/spoon/fork meals (mouse and keyboard), but there is a difference.

VMG 15y ago
Table manners and rules regarding the use of knives were introduced to prevent violence. In western civilization, it went from having your personal pointy knife at dinner to using the hosts knife that has a rounded tip and is typically bland. In China (and maybe other parts of Asia) knives during dinner became completely taboo. (Source: Steven Pinkers "Better Angels of our Nature", very interesting book, also here: http://itotd.com/articles/555/tableware-taboos/ http://itotd.com/articles/555/tableware-taboos/) I'd say from the standpoint of practicality and hygiene, knives and forks win hands down. Eating with your hands is appropriate if you don't trust your fellow diners eating with potential weapons.
- ehsanu1 15y ago
  Don't know about hygiene, but eating with your hands is definitely more convenient for food designed with utensil-less eating in mind. I doubt the reason knives and other utensils aren't used many places (such as South East Asia) has anything to do with some taboo regarding violence during dinner. And I hope your last sentence there was just tongue in cheek. :)
- Adaptive 15y ago
  The Thais are one of the most hygiene conscious populations I've encountered, particularly in the NE where eating with hands only is most common. I could counter by saying that eating with utensils is appropriate if you are barely civilized and can't be trusted to wash your hands before eating.

VMG 15y ago

Table manners and rules regarding the use of knives were introduced to prevent violence. In western civilization, it went from having your personal pointy knife at dinner to using the hosts knife that has a rounded tip and is typically bland. In China (and maybe other parts of Asia) knives during dinner became completely taboo. (Source: Steven Pinkers "Better Angels of our Nature", very interesting book, also here: http://itotd.com/articles/555/tableware-taboos/ http://itotd.com/articles/555/tableware-taboos/) I'd say from the standpoint of practicality and hygiene, knives and forks win hands down. Eating with your hands is appropriate if you don't trust your fellow diners eating with potential weapons.

ehsanu1 15y ago
Don't know about hygiene, but eating with your hands is definitely more convenient for food designed with utensil-less eating in mind. I doubt the reason knives and other utensils aren't used many places (such as South East Asia) has anything to do with some taboo regarding violence during dinner. And I hope your last sentence there was just tongue in cheek. :)
Adaptive 15y ago
The Thais are one of the most hygiene conscious populations I've encountered, particularly in the NE where eating with hands only is most common. I could counter by saying that eating with utensils is appropriate if you are barely civilized and can't be trusted to wash your hands before eating.