Blog VIII
During the Thanksgiving break, my Bhutanese friends and I decided to cook some Japanese and Bhutanese food. Like many other Asian countries, Bhutanese food is known to be spicy. Chilies and cheese, in Bhutanese called ema and dates mixed with all kinds of meats, vegetables, poultry and fish are found commonly on many Bhutanese menus. The closest food to Bhutan is Indian food which is also famous for having a spicy taste. Unlike many other Asian food and cultures, Bhutanese people eat their food with their hands. As I researched and asked my friends, they said it is because of the history in Bhutan. Years ago when Bhutan was not as developed as today, people did not have many technology or access to power and resources. They did not have equipments such as forks, knifes, and chopsticks. It is normal for them to serve food on a plate and eat with their hands. One of the biggest rules is when the food is served on a big plate, people have to put the food into their own small plate before they begin to eat. This means they are not allowed to ‘directly’ eat off the main dish. Everyone needs to put the food on their own small plate and then eat from it. It is culturally disrespectful to eat food from the main plate because they eat with their hands so people believe that by constantly picking off the main plate, it is considered to be a very rude behavior. Furthermore, after the funeral, typically and traditionally, people drink teas. There is a certain way to serve the tea in the funeral. The person has to pour the tea in an opposite way than how it is usually poured. If a person is right-handed, she/he would twist the arm towards the left, in other words, counterclockwise. However, during the funeral, she/he would have to twist his/her arm towards right, meaning clockwise. Therefore, in usual occasion, it is considered to be rude if a person pours a tea in this direction. I believe many cultures have certain rule which is considered to be forbidden as they eat or serve food. I was fascinated after having to cook some Bhutanese food during the Thanksgiving break and tried eating with my hands. It felt awkward at first but it also gave me a better understanding of how people eat food in Bhutanese culture.
During the Thanksgiving break, my Bhutanese friends and I decided to cook some Japanese and Bhutanese food. Like many other Asian countries, Bhutanese food is known to be spicy. Chilies and cheese, in Bhutanese called ema and dates mixed with all kinds of meats, vegetables, poultry and fish are found commonly on many Bhutanese menus. The closest food to Bhutan is Indian food which is also famous for having a spicy taste. Unlike many other Asian food and cultures, Bhutanese people eat their food with their hands. As I researched and asked my friends, they said it is because of the history in Bhutan. Years ago when Bhutan was not as developed as today, people did not have many technology or access to power and resources. They did not have equipments such as forks, knifes, and chopsticks. It is normal for them to serve food on a plate and eat with their hands. One of the biggest rules is when the food is served on a big plate, people have to put the food into their own small plate before they begin to eat. This means they are not allowed to ‘directly’ eat off the main dish. Everyone needs to put the food on their own small plate and then eat from it. It is culturally disrespectful to eat food from the main plate because they eat with their hands so people believe that by constantly picking off the main plate, it is considered to be a very rude behavior. Furthermore, after the funeral, typically and traditionally, people drink teas. There is a certain way to serve the tea in the funeral. The person has to pour the tea in an opposite way than how it is usually poured. If a person is right-handed, she/he would twist the arm towards the left, in other words, counterclockwise. However, during the funeral, she/he would have to twist his/her arm towards right, meaning clockwise. Therefore, in usual occasion, it is considered to be rude if a person pours a tea in this direction. I believe many cultures have certain rule which is considered to be forbidden as they eat or serve food. I was fascinated after having to cook some Bhutanese food during the Thanksgiving break and tried eating with my hands. It felt awkward at first but it also gave me a better understanding of how people eat food in Bhutanese culture.
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