“You STILL eat with your hands.” by Oprah Winfrey

[AmIHindu]

Namaste,

“You STILL eat with your hands.” This is a comment (allegedly) made by Oprah Winfrey in her show on India, suggesting as if eating with hands is something primitive and undesirable. Such cultural insensitivity from a TV hostess renowned for her empathy! Why this disgust about eating with hands?

Answered here on this website.

http://devdutt.com/articles/you-stil...our-hands.html

In Vedic texts, food is a goddess and fingers are the midget sages known as Valakhilyas. The sages carry the goddess to our mouths so that we sustain ourselves. In Jyotisha, the five fingers are associated with the five elements: earth (little finger), water (ring finger), air (middle finger), ether (index finger) and fire (thumb). Thus when we eat by hand, the five elements get symbolically connected with the food. But such symbolism and speculations do not matter as one gets more modern and civilized, I guess.

I like to thank you Devdutt for replying to her, but it is no wonder such negative, disgusting and insulting comments come from Western about Indians. Present day.... nah.... In Modern times those comments are in more profession way, Westerns never respect Indians but Indians never learned this, it is more sad than insult itself. How sarcastic Western world is !!

I like to say double thanks to Devdutt for improving my knowledge about Dharma.

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,

This is really stupid from her to make those kind of comments...It's useless and just showing her ignorance.

But please AmIHindu, don't fall into the easy "werterners never respect hinds/westerners are like this/like that" that's not true. This woman don't respect Hindu people. That's a real shame, I agree with you. Because this woman is apparently famous on tv in the us, then all westerners and all the western world is like this ? Please, don't fall for that... Most of the westerners respect others cultures, just because everyone talk about the ones that say idiotic, ignorants and rascist things does not mean everyone is like that. I mean really.
I had to eat with my hands in Tamil Nadu, so what ? Not me, not my family, not another white people I saw never complained or made bad comments about this.

Nobody talk about the many, many, many ones that respect others, nobody talk about the good side of western people and western contries. Many of Hindu think that all the western world is just like US or England, full of stupid, corrupted, rascist colonialist that hates Hindu.
That's not true, really, trust me. This only leads to rascism, hatred...

And feel really sad, being from Europe, seeing I am associated as a "westerner" or a "mlecca", rejected by some Hindu because they think I think like the average stupid Amercan that made the news because he said Hindu people are primitive ?
That's not fair !

This woman is stupid, as an intelligent answer have been given to her, please ignore those stupid comments and go ahead. And don't generalize about all the westerners and all the western countries...We are not like this woman. Our culture and society are different from a country to another...India have nothing (politically, culturally...) in common with China. India have nothing in common with Japan. India have nothing in common with Thailand. Yet no westerner is saying "Pffft, all asian countries are stupid and communist and colonialist like China !"
Because that's not true, you have so much cultural differences that you just can't be associated with this country, and with the thinking and actions of this country.

That's the same here ! ^^

Thank you for the great knowledge shared about the hand ! I really didn't knew that.


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Sahasranama]

I have heard it, but I am not surprised at all, Oprah has always been ignorant. She is highly overrated.

[Twilightdance]

Some body completely unaware about Indian culture in her wrong judgement used a word (which otherwise is completely harmless on its own, maybe somewhat unfortunate in the context) - and we have blogs rolling and rants flowing on forums on how west is evil, sarcastic, negative, disgusting, insulting [i give up the adjective counts] etc etc about India.

Whatever west maybe, Indian nationalists have demonstrated umpteen number of times that they are nothing more than paranoid, conspiracy theorist, low self-esteemed, zealous, bigoted and overall moronic individuals with very little purpose or contribution in society they live in.

Oprah has nothing to do with India and she has every right to be surprised to know we eat with our hands and use the word STILL to express her surprise from her point of view.

If you care so much about what Oprah has to say about one of our hygiene habits, then suck it up.

If you are proud about your hand hygiene - what Oprah feels should be of least concern. No unfortunately, she is not involved in some sort of western anti-India conspiracy to belittle India [except in your head which is out of any other fruitful purpose], nor does she has any stake in how India is ruled or how her resources are drained by unscrupulous temple going ruthlessly corrupt hindu [mostly] politicians of India.

Grow up crybabies.

[Jodhaa]

Namaste!

Thank you for this post!

When I first ate a meal at my local temple, I was struck by the fact that most of the devotees ate with their hands, but my reaction wasn't disgust, to be honest. Being a westerner and being new to the culture, I felt awkward because I couldn't manage to eat with my hands as skillfully and cleanly as they could! I make such a mess of myself when I try to eat with my hands. (Spoons are available, thank goodness). But I have a lot of respect for devotees that can eat with there hands.( I only recently learned how to eat with chopsticks)

I think Oprah's comment is certainly insensitive, although there's nothing surprising about it. In the west, eating with the hands is associated with infancy. As children we are told "not to play with your food!". So while I personally have no problem with eating with the hands (despite my inability to do it right!) I know for sure a lot of Westerners would be taken aback by it.

It's a question of exposure. I knew ahead of time that Indians traditionally ate with their hands. So, while unfamiliar, I was mentally prepped to see it. It is the same with any other cultural difference. People need exposure. But until they get it, perhaps they should be educated in the social graces of politeness so they don't offend others so easily.


Peace!

[Equinox]

Vannakkam AmIHindu


That is not the only case. When Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were guests at her show once, she actually asked them, "How do you guys still live with your parents, isn't that odd?", or something along those lines. This happened when Abhishek told her that they live with his parents Amitabh and Jaya Baiduri.

I can't remember the exact lines, but that was what she said, and it became quite an issue. She was implying that children should leave their homes after finishing school (like what happens in the West), as opposed to the Indian family system, where adult children and their families continue living with their parents even after getting married.

Luckily, Abhishek gave her a smart and sarcastic reply, asking her in return," How do you guys live away from your parents, that's more odd." You should have seen Oprah's face when he said that, lol.

I watched the excerpt on Youtube some years ago, can't seem to find it now.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: We were just at a Saravan Bhavan, and if I remember right, one had to request metal. Fingers are the oldest, then wood, then metal. Some instruments like forks are only a couple hundred years old. With fingers, you are eating your own prana, most highly present in fingers.

I think some of our western famous people need a lesson in cultural sensitivity, but its certainly not surprising. But I'm sure Oprah's been made aware of it by now.

Still, if someone doesn't wash beforehand, it could be unclean. I've never seen it though, but why in the world would someone be watching for that?

Aum Namasivaya

[Shuddhasattva]

You still move with your feet?

... Hey, me too.

[Seeker123]

I recall reading that S. Radhakishnan one of the past presidents of India was at a state dinner when he was in Moscow. He ate with his hands. When the host asked him why he replied "I know for sure that my hands are clean".

[Sahasranama]

I think Indians have all right to react like this towards Oprah. She should be washing Indian feet, not commenting on their hands.