Finger-Lickin’

No more licking fingers, but still just as good as ever!

Okay, it’s not my parents fault … They raised me to have good table manners. No elbows on the table, chew with mouth closed, knife set across back edge of plate (under which, I admit, I sometimes hid peas), ask for food to be passed rather than reaching for it, sit up straight and say please and thank you.

Throughout my adulthood, I’ve let some of this slide, although chewing with one’s mouth closed still tops my list of essential eating skills for everyone. But the area in which I’ve really diverged from my upbringing is in the use of utensils. I love to eat with my fingers.

Maybe one or more of my past lives was spent in parts of Africa or the Middle East, where some cultures have made an art of transferring food from bowl to mouth, with one’s own five-fingered spork. I certainly didn’t spend any lifetimes in China where, I understand, upon the introduction of the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, they had to do some serious translation juggling because there are no words for “it’s finger lickin’ good.”

Being retired and eating quiet meals at home makes for a relaxed dining atmosphere. Sometimes I find myself using my knife and fork to cut a bite-size morsel, but then I pick it up with my fingers to pop it into my mouth. When I first noticed I was doing that, I thought, Well, that’s weird. And then I figured it out. My right fork hand has become a bit shaky with age, so picking up food is easier than balancing it on the fork. Wow, my body figured that out before my mind did!

There’s another way my fingers get involved in eating, because I’m a huge believer in waste not, want not. When I’m done with the more solid part of my meal, I put down my fork or spoon and use my finger to sop up the good stuff, while still coating the bowl, be it salad dressing, pasta sauce, gravy, soup or melted cheese.

One time at my in-laws’ house in Germany, I used this method to clean the rest of the yogurt out of the bottom of my cereal bowl. My mother-in-law looked at me with big eyes. “Hast du keinen lӧeffel [Don’t you have a spoon]?” she asked. I held it up to show her that I did, indeed, have one, before realizing she was shocked by my uncouthness. Oops, note to self: only do this at home.

The most fun potluck I ever went to was one where the hosts set the rule that everything had to be eaten with fingers. People brought things like spaghetti, and baked potatoes, and chunky salads and gooey desserts. This was a stretch, even for a finger-lickin’ eater like me. But all were amazed at how doable it was. Everyone found creative ways to not make piggies of themselves.

So why does this topic occur to me as a useful addition to a column about grey matters? Because something very interesting can happen in maturing brains. Assumptions can be questioned and maybe dropped. We can explore different ways of doing things just for fun. We can free up our inner child. We can wonder about past lives in different cultures and maybe feel inspired to dress or dance or eat in a new way. We can enjoy the same old things we’ve done every day for our whole lives by doing them with fresh style and a brand-new awareness.

So, Bon Appétit! And remember to always chew with your mouth closed.