Random thoughts on food

Thanks to Anna, Langston, and Elise for today's report on food.  A few things came to mind.  Josh and Warren both mentioned in their "Ordeal by Meal" entries how awkward it was for them, used to knives, forks, and spoons, to eat properly without utensils or with different ones.  Most of us can't remember our awkward moves with forks and spoons (though our parents can), but I bet most of you do remember how hard it was to use chopsticks for the first time.

We tend to think that people who eat with their fingers are crude, but in fact, it is an art to eat neatly with your fingers, especially if you are eating from a communal dish (you do not want to lick your fingers and stick them back into the dish).   It is very difficult for someone used to using spoons and forks not to end up covered with grease and gravy when eating with fingers. (Here is a web page about how to eat Indian food with your fingers to give you an idea).  One of the ways the Greeks coped with this is by using flatbread of various types as both the plate and the utensil-- you scoop up the food with the bread. In many countries, there are very specific rules about how to eat properly with your fingers, especially if you are dipping into a communal dish.  The punishment of cutting off the right hand for theft is made even worse by the fact that in many societies, only the right hand can be used for eating at a common meal (the left hand is used for cleaning up in the toilet).

Ancient bread was probably pretty dismal stuff, for the most part.  It is clear from forensic archaeology in Egypt, for example,  that people's teeth, especially the molars, tended to be badly worn down because  grit from the millstones used for grinding flour got into the bread. 

5th Century terra cotta, woman baking bread, from Tanagra.