How to eat like a Brazilian
When I arrived in Rio, the plan was to stay a couple of weeks with my girlfriend in her mother’s house, after which I would make alternative arrangements. I am a little ashamed to say that the ‘couple of weeks’ turned into 8 months – a testament to the generous, welcoming nature of the lady who became minha sogra (my mother-in-law).
Although I don’t remember exactly what we ate on that first evening, one memory from the meal does remain. As everyone else was milling around in the kitchen, I approached the table and happened to notice that someone had put the knives and forks round the wrong way – knife on the left, fork on the right!
Well, being a polite young (ahem) man, I didn’t want my hosts to feel embarrassed when they discovered this mistake, so I quickly switched the cutlery around to their proper positions and then popped into the kitchen to help bring the food to the table.
As we sat down to eat, I saw that my girlfriend, her brother and mother all switched their cutlery back to their original positions! Thus I discovered that most Brazilians eat with their fork in the right hand and the knife in the left. I say most because it isn’t all of them – a quick glance round at lunch today showed that 8 out of my 10 work mates eat this way.
Cutting it the Brazilian way.
The fork is used in the right hand to shovel up rice, beans, farofa, etc, while the knife spends a lot of its time idle, occasionally coming in to play to nudge a carrot to one side or cut up a bit of steak. In these situations the fork is rotated into a holding position until the left-hand knife has finished its work, at which point the fork reverts to its usual role.
As I was quietly making this observation, my girlfriend noticed that I was doing things differently too. She was particularly taken with the way that, after using my fork to spear a bit of potato, I would then push some beans onto the back of the fork for a tasty potato-bean combo. “Wow!” she said, “I love the elegant way you use your knife and fork!”.
 |
| Elegant? Possibly. But don’t forget the food. |
Now, it has been quite some time since anyone remarked on the way I ate. In fact the last time it happened I was probably no more than 7 years old and I suspect the person passing comment was my father – something along the lines of “Stop playing with your food and eat up!”.
But ‘elegant’? Never before. I must confess to a moment of self-congratulatory pride. “Yes, it is rather elegant isn’t it?” I thought to myself. But of course, it isn’t remotely elegant, just different. And perhaps a little antiquated. I remember hearing once that, according the arcane rules of Victorian etiquette, the correct way to eat peas is to spear as many as you can on the prongs of your fork before popping them into your mouth. Those Victorians must have been hungry…
To stay with peas for a moment, this Dining Etiquette Seminar suggests that the the ‘proper’ way to eat peas depends on which side of the Atlantic you reside:
Peas – A significant difference between the American and the Continental styles of using a knife and fork is the way each style indicates how to eat peas, one of the most difficult foods to eat. In the American style of eating, hold your fork tines up in your right hand to scoop up a small amount of peas and bring them to your mouth. In the Continental style, hold the tines of your fork down to spear a few peas at a time and eat them.
In the spirit of cultural exchange, we both tried each other’s technique, but it was a rather frustrating experience – a bit like trying to write with your left hand (for the right handed).
So, if you really want to eat like a Brazilian, and you currently use your knife and fork in the European style, then I suggest you get practising. But don’t worry too much – the only feedback I have had so far has been positive.
Tom, leaving among an European family, I felt the same way you did, but the other way round. I swear I've tried to change my fork and knife, because I find it nicer than the way I 've learnt all my life, but I did not succeed. I suggest you do the same and we'll all be happy, eating the way we've learnt. It reminds us the world is so huge that even the water runs opposite directions down the drain, depending on each Hemisphere we are! Why not us ?
Hi Virginia, what a lovely comment! And I completely agree with you – it's the differences that make life and travel interesting right? And if there's even one person in the world who thinks the way I eat is elegant then I'm not changing! :)
Hi Tom,
It is interesting to see how different cultures eat.
Went I went to Lebanon last year, I was quickly 'told off' for being too English by putting hummus and other things into my plate – in Lebanon, they use Arabic bread as a spoon and scoop the hummus (and other things) from the dishes on the table.
I also remember as a kid, eating spaghetti in an Italian restaurant and the waiter instructed me on how to eat it with a spoon and fork.
Something that amazed me when I watched a Jamie Oliver program is that in many schools in America, they don't give out knives for school lunches until the kids are around 14! That means that the kids don't learn to use cutlery – that is really bad!
Sadly I see a lot of people eating badly in the UK! e.g. holding their fork in their right hand, scooping up things (such as peas), elbows on the table, eating with their mouth open (yuck!), eating pizza and burgers with their hands in nice restaurants, etc. My parents would give me a severe telling off if I did that as a kid (in fact, they still would!).
I'm with you – I prefer the 'elegant' way of dining :-)
Hi Tom, I loved reading this post as it reminded me of when I first arrived here and was eating with my husband's family. At the time, I didn't speak any Portuguese and was still considered to be something of an alien, as foreigners don't often appear in these parts. I remember my husbands mother giving me a strange look and asking my husband why I was eating with my cutlery the wrong way round! I found it so strange when I realised that they eat the other way round. I also notice that most Brazilians leave their cutlery lying haphazardly across their plates and onto the table when they have finished eating. Maybe it's because I'm a Brit, or maybe it's just the way I was brought up, but I, too, prefer the elegant way of eating, and find some of these habits really frustrating to watch!
It was so great to hear some comments from you on my blog, because you are the first fellow Brit expat I have come across!It's always nice to meet someone who can identify with the various challenges of living in Brazil, but especially someone who has the same sorts of things to compare with :-)
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comment – I'm definitely with you on the eating with mouth open thing – urgh! Especially grim when accompanied by squelchy chewing noises! Glad to say that doesn't happen much over here in Brazil.
Whilst searching around on this subject I found this funny post which covers things from the another perspective – an American expat living in London. Made me chuckle… http://angloyankophile.blogspot.com/2010/04/knife-and-fork.html
Hey Pequena,
Great to hear from you too! I've only been doing this blogging thing for a few months and at first I was just enjoying the opportunity to do a bit of writing. But in the last week or so I've been starting to get in contact with people in similar situations and it's been really nice. Especially, as you say, when you realise that you're not the only one who has been the odd one out as it were.
I was just reading your latest post about the unfortunate Skank performance. I wonder what part of Brazil are you living in? The music scene there sounds rather frustrating, especially when (as I'm just starting to discover) there is so much great Brazilian music out there. I just found this album by Jorge Ben Jor called "A Tábua de Esmeralda" – do you know it? Definitely worth a listen!
I've had American friends comment on how I eat like a Brazilian now. I adapted to it and find it so better than how I ate before!
Hi Rachel – kudos to you! I have to confess that I've never really had the patience to do it 'properly' when it comes to things like peas – then I adopt the Brazilian/American fork technique – life is too short! But seriously, you cut with your left? Impressionante!
Dude I found your blog via Rachel's and it seems I'm already hooked. Great topics and splendid writting. Oh, that Dog Tv post is my favorite so far.
Hey there Gritty, good to hear from you and thanks for your kind words, that's really nice to hear! I should be working, but I've just spent the last 20 minutes randomly browsing your blog – loved this (http://grittypoet.blogspot.com/2010/12/just-lovely.html). I think I have just found a new (and dangerous) procrastination device – thanks! ;)
Hiya Tom!
Great post.
I've always eaten like a Brazilian as it makes far more sense in my opinion.
If we were eating together and I took away your knife (don't worry, I'd give it back), you would almost certainly pass your fork from your left hand to your right and continue to eat. If you didn't, you'd be in the minority.
Oh, and surely the best way of eating peas is to get a lump of mash on your fork and dip it in :)
Hey Prawno,
Thanks for the comment! You are dead-right, if you took away my trusty knife I'd switch the fork over. But then how would I cut up my steak? Totally with you with the mash + peas technique – that's a favourite of mine. And once peas and mash are well integrated, I like to get some gravy into the mix too. Yum, when's lunch…?