How To Eat With Your Fingers

Rice and daal ready to eat.
Sharell Cook

When I first came to India I was fascinated by the way people so deftly ate with their fingers, particularly the way they quickly managed to combine all the food together and get it into their mouths without dropping any.

It wasn't long before I was trying it for myself, with varying degrees of success. Picking the food up with Indian bread, such as roti and naan, isn't too difficult. It's the rice and daal (watery lentil dish) that's a problem. Although I can usually manage to get it into my mouth, I always make such a sloppy mess on my plate! I'm persisting with it though, because somehow the food always tastes better when I eat it with my fingers.

For anyone who wants to give it a try, here's how to go about eating a complete Indian meal with your fingers.