Post: #1

Inspired by this thread/posts by Kasich's(Cucksich) eating habits. /thread-48360...pid1285749

It really made me think for a few hours. Why the hell do Westerners eat with a knife and fork things that aren't steak(or rack of lamb or similar)?

Coming from a SEA family I thought we were actually really westernized when we were eating with a fork and spoon(spoon dominant) instead of chopsticks. And I've only eaten out at friends houses uncommonly enough that maybe I'd notice they'd use a knife and fork but not pay it much thought.

Now that I think about it it's quite ridiculous to eat a lot of things with a knife and fork(fork dominant). A spoon is a much more versatile utensil than a fork. The only things I'd ever use a fork predominantly are steak, or noodles(but that I would still use a spoon as the other utensil). And a knife is a bit ridiculous in that if you don't have to cut a steak, a spoon(or fork) just makes so much more sense.

I actually looked online about it and that's how I realised it was mainly standard in SEA but not really anywhere else. Also the claimed reasons why Westerners use a fork instead of a spoon include:

It's "weird" to use a spoon for anything but soups/cereal/ice cream
It's way more precise to use(I guess... but a spoon just shovels so much more)
It's good for portion control ie putting less food in your utensil, a spoon would be too much at once(This is actually really ridiculous to me... don't you want more food per mouthful?)

It's even more ridiculous when Westerners use a fork to eat rice. That to me just blows my mind. Don't people realise how much better a spoon is? For rice!

Post: #2

It's because we're civilized.

Post: #3

I would say on average, I eat much more foods which are more fork than spoon compatible. Especially considering virtually every meal I have had since childhood revolves around meat. Personally a spoon doesn't seem convenient or effective for my diet at all.

Post: #4

"Don't people realise how much better a spoon is? For rice!"
When I'm alone, I eat rice with my hands. In fact, if I can hold anything I eat it with my hands.
South Asian here. Utensils have their place, obviously. Just not every damn time.

Post: #5

Aren't you Chinese Suits?

Post: #6

Unless you're eating a soup, how is a spoon better than a knife? What do you need both a knife and spoon for? Were you born with no dexterity or coordination?

Post: #7

(04-26-2016 02:34 AM)Rush87 Wrote:  I would say on average, I eat much more foods which are more fork than spoon compatible. Especially considering virtually every meal I have had since childhood revolves around meat. Personally a spoon doesn't seem convenient or effective for my diet at all.

I eat meat with every meal too. I suppose I don't have big chunks of it that I need a knife/fork to cut. With mince, or chopped up bits of meat, or chicken, I pretty much don't "need" a fork and would prefer a spoon most of the time. Add that to the fact that ~50% of my diet is rice(safe starch) and I pretty much "need" a spoon.

Post: #8

(04-26-2016 02:43 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  Unless you're eating a soup, how is a spoon better than a knife? What do you need both a knife and spoon for? Were you born with no dexterity or coordination?

What? A spoon is loads better than a knife. You just scoop a bunch of food into it and there you go. And the point of my post is that you don't need a knife...

Post: #9

(04-26-2016 02:39 AM)Centurion Wrote:  Aren't you Chinese Suits?

No, this is what I look like.

Post: #10

(04-26-2016 02:47 AM)Centurion Wrote:  

(04-26-2016 02:43 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  Unless you're eating a soup, how is a spoon better than a knife? What do you need both a knife and spoon for? Were you born with no dexterity or coordination?

What? A spoon is loads better than a knife. You just scoop a bunch of food into it and there you go. And the point of my post is that you don't need a knife...

Westerners aren't eating minced meat and rice though bruh. Maybe we have bigger mouths or something, or maybe we are comfortable with cutting things on our plate. Believe me when I tell you that I'd rather have a knife than a spoon 95% of the time I'm eating.

Of course now I'm stuck with chopsticks...

Post: #11

(04-26-2016 02:32 AM)Centurion Wrote:  It's even more ridiculous when Westerners use a fork to eat rice. That to me just blows my mind.

Ya, you need a pair of these if you want to eat rice.




Here are the instructions for their use.

Post: #12

Just an adaptation to cuisine, reflective of the greater individualism of the west. Each diner cuts his food to his own preference, whereas in Asia everyone has their food cut for them by the cook.

I note that Asian cultures often have a disdain for manual work, could this also be a factor?

Post: #13

Suits that's why you use a spoon...

Post: #14

I think the real question here is "which utensil can you best incorporate into foreplay?"

Post: #15

I use a spoon when appropriate, but I'm certainly not giving up my knife. I eat meat that requires cutting in like 75% of my meals. Much of the rest is stuff like ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, or tacos, which I can eat without utensils, or Italian food that is best eaten with a fork and knife. On occasion I'll eat a meal that takes nothing but a spoon, like chili or stew.

I'm not sure why this is an either-or situation, anyway. A place setting has a knife, fork, and spoon. If I need a spoon, it's right there handy. I use a spoon to eat rice, small vegetables, etc all the time.

Post: #16

(04-26-2016 03:20 AM)Centurion Wrote:  Suits that's why you use a spoon...

But nearly two billion people eat rice with chopsticks...

Post: #17

Because most westerners don't eat noodles and rice at every meal.

Better question: why do most easterners eat nothing but white rice and noodles while barely eating any protein? Don't they know that's how you make gains?

Was this a JohnBozzz question?

Post: #18

(04-26-2016 03:36 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  Better question: why do most easterners eat nothing but white rice and noodles while barely eating any protein? Don't they know that's how you make gains?

I'm not sure but I was watching a college fitness class taking advantage of the nice weather outside yesterday and most of the guys could barely manage one pull-up.

Post: #19

(04-26-2016 03:36 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  Because most westerners don't eat noodles and rice at every meal.

Better question: why do most easterners eat nothing but white rice and noodles while barely eating any protein? Don't they know that's how you make gains?

They don't like to waste money on unimportant things, like diet.

Quote:Was this a JohnBozzz question?

JohnBozzz would have done the right thing and started a new thread for such an important questions about gains.

Post: #20

I only use sporks.

   

Post: #21

how is this easier to eat with spoon than a fork?

Post: #22

The knife and fork are wonderfully illustrative of some of the best qualities of civilized refinement. They represent patience and self-control - refusal to give into gluttony or be overtaken by vice - whilst recognising that eating is a fundamentally practical affair that must be accomplished in the most efficient manner (preserving the virtues already mentioned). This measured, methodical approach in the face of temptation, which recognizes delayed gratification as one of the great goods, is perhaps the primary reason that we in the west have shaped the world and made it what it is today.

The use of a spoon, or the hands, is illustrative of the cultural deficiencies of other nations that have not achieved the same kind of progress as we in the west have. It shows a lack of self control, and a willingness to be overcome by the prospect of immediate satisfaction - a lack of discipline.

Equally, the Asian method of eating with chopsticks shows an excessive, contrived refinement that fails to recognise the fundamentally practical process of eating for nourishment. It is an ostentatious show of wealth and leisure. It is almost an attempt to deny the fundamental utility of eating.

Post: #23

Interesting take, although

(04-26-2016 04:50 AM)H1N1 Wrote:  Equally, the Asian method of eating with chopsticks shows an excessive, contrived refinement that fails to recognise the fundamentally practical process of eating for nourishment. It is an ostentatious show of wealth and leisure. It is almost an attempt to deny the fundamental utility of eating.

you lost me there. Chopsticks are an ostentatious show of wealth and leisure compared to

?

Post: #24

I'm laughing my ass off just trying to imagine someone eating with a spoon and fork.

Post: #25

(04-26-2016 05:07 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  Interesting take, although

(04-26-2016 04:50 AM)H1N1 Wrote:  Equally, the Asian method of eating with chopsticks shows an excessive, contrived refinement that fails to recognise the fundamentally practical process of eating for nourishment. It is an ostentatious show of wealth and leisure. It is almost an attempt to deny the fundamental utility of eating.

you lost me there. Chopsticks are an ostentatious show of wealth and leisure compared to

?

Yes, because for all the ornamentation and excess, the form still recognises the inherent practicality of the act. It reflects the mindset of a people.