Notes from a small island
A weblog by Jonathan Ali


Monday, November 03, 2003  

From last Saturday's Express:

East Indian way of eating losing ground

THE EDITOR: Please permit us space in your newspaper to express our views on the non-use of socially correct procedures for eating as it applies to East Indian and "proper" society dining.

Due to our keen observations, I realised that people of Trinidad and Tobago do not practise the correct eating habits when it comes to eating East Indian cuisine or eating in the "proper" society.

In this case, the "proper" society refers to the British influence of eating styles that came about in the time of colonialism. The use of knives and forks was an integral part of "proper" society.

Also, the "proper" manner of eating East Indian food is quickly disappearing. No longer do we see people traditionally sitting on floors eating out of banana leaves. Is the reason for this the fact that there is no documented rule for the correct way to eat East Indian food? Is relying on the traditional inheritance of culture a total waste of time?

Trinidad and Tobago is a callaloo of cultures swizzled together, but these cultures are individual in their own rites. Furthermore, we believe that the proper way of eating should be practised, whether it is done traditionally or from documented information.

GROUP PROJECT
Social Etiquette and Personal Development
TTHTI

(If anyone knows what the acronym TTHTI stands for, I'd be grateful. And if anyone wants to buy my dining table, drop me a line.)

posted by Jonathan | 9:35 PM 0 comments

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