French Woman Living In India Shares Experience Of Eating With Hands: "Felt Awkward, Almost Rebellious"

Julia Chaigneau, a French woman living in India for nearly two years, recently shared her experience of eating with her hands, a practice that's quite common in many parts of the country. In a post on X, she shared how initially, it felt "awkward" but eventually became a delightful sensory experience.

See the post here:

I grew up eating pizza and burgers with a knife and fork.
Not by choice, by “punishment”.

In France, eating with your hands is considered “rude” not to be mean just because of the culture.

Years later, a friend re-taught me how to eat with my hands. At first it felt awkward,… pic.twitter.com/ulOJH9q1EA

— Julia Chaigneau (@juliachaigneau) September 14, 2025

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"I grew up eating pizza and burgers with a knife and fork. Not by choice, by 'punishment'. In France, eating with your hands is considered 'rude', not to be mean just because of the culture," she wrote.

"Years later, a friend re-taught me how to eat with my hands. At first it felt awkward, almost rebellious. Then something shifted."

Chaigneau said that she could feel the heat before it burned her tongue and could also sense textures. She also stated that eating with her hands allows her to mix flavours, which was not possible with a fork. "I even wasted less," she said.

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"Re-experiencing food through senses beyond sight made me rethink, as a designer, how easy it is to overlook the power of our other senses in shaping experiences. I have tried to keep that in mind since then," she wrote.

The post resonated with many, with one user saying, "Hands are the most efficient tools that nature equipped us with."

"I have always loved to eat food with my hand and my mom tried her best to make me use a spoon/fork," another user said.