Today, I ate my lunch off of a banana leaf.
The leaf is large and green. You are supposed to place it horizontally in front of you, with the stem to your right, and rinse it lightly with water. Food is then placed on the leaf like a plate. There is an order and place for various types of food. I don't know all the details, but from what I gathered, sweet foods go close to you while salty and spicy foods are placed farther away.
The banana leaf is much larger than a regular plate, so you can really load it up with good eats. A huge pile of rice usually dominates the center, on which you pour various sauces, gravies and chutney. Then you mash it all together with your fingers using your right hand, and try to get the food into your mouth. It takes a little getting used to as you can probably imagine. The rice becomes a bit runny with juices causing the whole affair to become a bit of a strange shoveling action.
The sensation that I should constantly be cleaning off my hand, wiping it on a napkin or running to rinse it off, is powerful! I've been so programmed to be a 'neat' eater that eating saucy rice triggers all kinds of alarm bells in my head. Even compared to typical finger-food in the US, there is something quite different about this experience. I somehow feel like I'm offending others at the table, despite the fact that they are eating the same way. One more step on overcoming small fears... the fear of not upholding the proper social graces.
The best parts of using a banana leaf as a plate are that it is completely biodegradable and there are no dishes to wash!
Why aren't there any photos? Did you miss the part where I was busy eating with my hands?
The leaf is large and green. You are supposed to place it horizontally in front of you, with the stem to your right, and rinse it lightly with water. Food is then placed on the leaf like a plate. There is an order and place for various types of food. I don't know all the details, but from what I gathered, sweet foods go close to you while salty and spicy foods are placed farther away.
The banana leaf is much larger than a regular plate, so you can really load it up with good eats. A huge pile of rice usually dominates the center, on which you pour various sauces, gravies and chutney. Then you mash it all together with your fingers using your right hand, and try to get the food into your mouth. It takes a little getting used to as you can probably imagine. The rice becomes a bit runny with juices causing the whole affair to become a bit of a strange shoveling action.
The sensation that I should constantly be cleaning off my hand, wiping it on a napkin or running to rinse it off, is powerful! I've been so programmed to be a 'neat' eater that eating saucy rice triggers all kinds of alarm bells in my head. Even compared to typical finger-food in the US, there is something quite different about this experience. I somehow feel like I'm offending others at the table, despite the fact that they are eating the same way. One more step on overcoming small fears... the fear of not upholding the proper social graces.
The best parts of using a banana leaf as a plate are that it is completely biodegradable and there are no dishes to wash!
Why aren't there any photos? Did you miss the part where I was busy eating with my hands?
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