Don’t Be Uncouth, Eat with Your Hands [PHIL-OSOPHY]

It's taken me a long time to realize that eating with my hands heightens my sensory experience. At the Paleologos Hacienda Bar & Grille, I'm known as the midnight snacker. I can tell you honestly, eating with my hands make the food taste better.

I remember reading that mothers in India like to feed their babies by hand, because they believe there's something biochemical with the natural oils from the fingers that imparts a powerful alchemy that strengthens their baby's immune system. I remember, as a 6-or-7year-old child, an old Greek man who spoke not a word of English telling me that the hand is our God-given fork. He was right, because look around the world and you'll see there are a myriad of cultures where eating by hand is the norm.

Don't you taste with your fingers? When there's a homemade frosting freshly whipped up in a bowl, don't you stick your finger in it and taste it? Some foods are made for the hands: pizza, tacos, sushi, grilled asparagus, cheese and ribs. What about corn on the cob? No, with corn on the cob I take a knife and cut the kernels off and pile them on my plate with a dollop of butter and a dash of salt and pepper.

In a day and age where hand sanitizer dispensaries are on every wall, desk and countertop, we're told eating with your hands is not a very smart thing. Of course, I'm very mindful about washing my hands often throughout the day, but they still say it's gross, or germy, impolite, uncouth and it demonstrates a lack of impulse control.

Okay, I'll give them just that last one.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.