DINING IN
for more than a minute, attending meetings, saying ‘yes’ to social engagements when what we really want to say is: ‘I’d rather spend the evening watching Nigel Farage on GB News’), the two-handed approach to cutlery should segue back into our day-to-day existence quite easily. If we want it to, that is. Instead, I’m tempted to adopt a more tactile and natural method for transporting the goods on my plate to the hole in my face by ditching the fork as well, and simply using my (meticulously washed) hands. Think this sounds radical? It isn’t. If you’re reading this over your lunch, there’s a fair chance you may already have a sandwich in your hand. If not, I’m certain you’ve delved into a bag of chips with greasy, salt-dappled fingers, or munched down a bacon buttie or two. On a global scale, knife and fork users are hugely outnumbered by those who rely on the cutlery given to them by Mother Nature (1.5 billion against pretty much the rest of the world, apart from the billion or so who use chopsticks). There are numerous ingenious solutions for getting round the issue of sauce-based dishes and stews – many involving an excuse to eat some sort of (flat)bread with every meal. I was reminded of the joy of eating with your hands a few Sundays ago, when we resorted to an old stand-by of roast chicken with lettuce, crusty bread and mayonnaise. There may have also been butter involved. As tempting as it is to tear into a hot chicken, fresh from the oven, patience is rewarded and a rest is essential. As well as redistributing the juices, it renders it a far more pleasant eating temperature – perfect for tucking into with eager fingers, placing haphazardly into warm bread and topping with dollops of mayo and fresh green leaves. There’s no way it would taste better from a plate, cut into neat morsels. Were we sat at the table? No, of course not. But these days, who is?
THE KITCHEN TABLE HAD BECOME AN OFFICE
AUGUST 2021 51
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