By Mmedaramfon Umoren
Reporter
People from various works of life and backgrounds either use their hands to round morsels of food to swallow or use cutlery.
Some explain in detail why they prefer to use their hand to eat, others also give reasons why they go for fork and knife.
Ene Akor (who lives in Makurdi)
“I can’t use cutlery for morsel food [cut a small piece of say, eba, round it in the hand, dip it in soup and swallow it] no matter where I am.
“What’s the fun in that? I won’t enjoy myself at all.”
Mona Udom (Uyo)
“I have no business eating morsel food with cutlery, except my nails are fixed. I won’t enjoy using the cutlery and, sincerely, it won’t satisfy me.”
Eze Jones (Uyo)
“Well, I can use cutlery if it’s a formal setting though I don’t like it.”
Felicia Okomo (Port Harcourt)
“Using my hand is convenient for me when eating morsel food and I enjoy the meal more because it’s easier to get those trappings (fish, periwinkle, shrimps, stock fish, et cetera) in the soup with my small-sized, beautifully rounded and hole drilled ball of eba/fufu/poundo yam which is little or almost impossible when using cutlery.
“I’d use the cutlery but only if it isn’t possible to use my hand; for instance, if I’m in an official meeting where the Western manner is required.
“Our local African swallow dishes are meant to be eaten in the African manner to really get to enjoy them.
“Moreover, isn’t the cutlery meant to be a machine (tool used to make work easier)?
“In eating our African dish (swallow) it doesn’t make work easier, so it sadly isn’t a (convenient) machine anymore at that point but an inconvenience.
“This is just my experience and my take.”
Femi Bomley (Warri)
“No way am I eating morsel food with cutlery. I get the proper feel of what I’m eating without cutlery – the modules are precise; hand, throat, and stomach working in accord.”
Adebowale Debo (Lagos)
“I use my hand most times except when I feel really lazy. Maybe it’s placebo effect but swallow tastes so much better with hand.”
Inyene Pius (Lagos)
“No way am I using cutlery. Tell me, do the Chinese use their hands? Then why should I use chopsticks.”
Francis Umweni (Lagos)
“I don’t use cutlery because that would be slow and I was born into a no cutlery using background so I’m not used to it.”
Ofonasaha Akpan (Uyo)
“I don’t like the idea of using cutlery because I don’t know how to use it. I wouldn’t want to make a fool of myself.”
Uzoamaka Nduka (Port Harcourt)
“I don’t like using cutlery. There’s no fun in using cutlery to eat morsel food.”
Utiliciouz Usanga (Uyo)
“I can’t use cutlery no matter where I am because the fun is in using my hand.
“It’s white guys who brought about these formalities and we allowed them at the expense of our culture.”
Uwem Ekaette (Uyo)
“It depends on the setting I’m in. I use cutlery and my hand well in eating, and as such, I don’t have any bias against it.”
Mbiata Inyang (Uyo)
“I don’t like using cutlery because morsel food is just meant to be eaten using the hands.
“After all, when morsel food was discovered, there was no cutlery. That’s the white man’s stuff and I’m not white.”
Olaoluwa Ajide (Lagos)
“I hate practising foreign culture. I’m proud to be African. I won’t use cutlery for morsel food no matter where I am.”
Oty Thompson (Uyo)
“I don’t eat morsel food with cutlery because that feels strange and I’m not comfortable with it. Come to think of it, my hands just feel better.”
Kemi Alabi (Lagos)
“I wouldn’t say I like using cutlery or hate them it, for morsel food.
“For me, it comes with feeling. I could choose to use cutlery or my hand any time I feel like it.
“But, I’m certain that African men will surely use their hands any time or day.”
Inyene Ikpong (Lagos)
“I don’t like using cutlery for morsel food, but I’d use it depending on the environment and my mood.
“I may use cutlery at an event because washing my hand afterwards may be another stress entirely.”
Oche Daniel (Abuja)
“Me use cutlery for morsel food?
“First, it’s a waste of time because my hand will be faster. Second, I don’t know how to use it, and finally, it’s not part of my cultural eating habit.”
Nsy Nsikak (Benin)
“If I’m positioned on a dining table where there is cutlery, I would use it to eat. It’s no big deal.”
Uzy Nduka (Port Harcourt)
“I don’t like using cutlery for morsel food. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Queen Bestman (Yenagoa)
“I feel very comfortable using my hand to eat. Cutlery can’t mould morsel food the way I’d want it.”
Uwem Akpan (Uyo)
“I do not like using cutlery for morsel food. I see it as odd, except I find myself where there’s no water to wash my hand or the water is far.
“Eating with the hand is African.”
Onyinye Okoye (Lagos)
“Why now? I can’t use cutlery to eat morsel food. Who do I want to impress at my own discomfort? No way!”
Nsikak Nsikak (Abuja)
“If I’m in a formal setting, I’d have no choice but to use it. But if not, why bother?”
Steven Abba (Abuja)
“I don’t cutlery for morsel food because I wasn’t brought up that way and it’s time consuming. I prefer it natural.”
Yire Ukpong (Asaba)
“Using cutlery will not allow me to flow, so I cannot use it.”
Frekus Samuel (Lagos)
“I do not use cutlery at all for morsel food. I don’t like it because it’s the white man’s culture. I am black!”
Moses Awolowo (Lagos)
“I don’t like using cutlery because it’s not the African way.”
Nathaniel Enobong (Uyo)
“I use my hand always because I can swiftly mould and enjoy food more with my hand.”
Emem Usoro (Calabar)
“I won’t use it because it’s too stressful.”
