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First Post
29-05-2025
- Health
- First Post
Is eating food with hands ‘unhygienic'? Indian-origin woman's video on London Tube has stirred debate
A video of an Indian-origin woman eating with her hands on board a London Tube train has gone viral, sparking an intense debate. While some have pointed out it is a cultural practice, other users called it 'unhygienic' and 'inappropriate' for a public space. But is eating with hands, a widespread norm in many parts of the world, including Asia and Africa, unhealthy? read more A video of a woman eating with her hands on a public transport has gone viral. X/@RadioGenoa Is eating with your hands 'unhealthy'? A debate was sparked online after a video of an Indian-origin woman eating curry and rice with her hand on board a London Tube train went viral recently. While many social media users pointed out that it is a cultural practice in many regions, others dubbed it 'unhygienic' and 'inappropriate' for a public space. The West has always looked down upon the art of eating with hands, stigmatising a widely accepted practice in the Indian subcontinent and other parts of the world. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, is eating with hands not good for your health? We will explain. Indian-origin woman's food video sparks debate An Indian-origin woman was filmed on a London Tube train eating food with her hands and speaking loudly on the phone. The video, originally shared on TikTok and then X, went viral, triggering a fierce debate online. While some defended the act as a cultural practice, others advised the woman to use cutlery. Sharing the video, a user on X wrote, 'RIP London.' Another user commented: 'She's not bothering you. She's enjoying her food, leave her alone and mind your own business. She could have been very hungry and needed food. Don't mock others. I've seen white people eat burgers on the train with their HANDS.' 'If you're a guest in someone's country. Be grateful and adapt,' a second wrote. 'Aside from eating in public with your fingers like that… Imagine touching all those rails and ticket kiosks and handles and then just putting your fingers in your mouth,' said another. Defending her, a user chimed in, 'Plenty of Brits eat chips or sandwiches on trains, no one bats an eye. But an Indian woman eating rice with her hand? Suddenly, it's a crisis. Meanwhile London Tube at night looks like a drug den. Funny how harmless traditions bother people more than actual public safety issues.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Some also criticised the woman for speaking loudly on the call. The incident has put a spotlight on the chasm between the West and other countries about what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to eating habits. Where eating with hands isn't frowned upon People in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh love eating their food with their hands. Whether it is biryani in India or fish and rice in Bangladesh, food tastes better when consumed with hands. In other parts of South and Southeast Asia, the West Asia, and Africa, it is also highly common to eat with one's hands. And it is hardly an 'unclean' activity. People are expected to wash their hands before digging into their food, and not just after. In Indian culture, the correct way to eat is considered with the right hand. Eating with our hands helps us experience the food with all our senses. Art historian, academic, author and museum curator Alka Pande, told The Week that our (Indians') body and food are 'related'. 'We are a sensual lot ― the touch, taste and smell of the food are related. We believe in pressure points in hands and the physicality of food is important for us. The flavour of rice or roti is enhanced when had with hands. Where is the flavour in having it with knife and fork?' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the West has attached a stigma to eating with one's hand. While some 'finger foods' like fish and chips and burgers are okay, eating with your hands is often met with disgust and discrimination. Is eating with hands unhealthy? Far from it. Instead, experts say it can improve digestion and prevent overeating. As per Ayurveda, each finger represents one of the five elements: the thumb symbolises fire, the index finger represents air, the middle finger represents sky, the ring finger symbolises earth and the little finger represents water. It is said that eating with your hands stimulates the five senses and creates intimacy with food. Eating with your hands is good for digestion. AI-generated image Some say that the practice makes the food taste even better. However, this may be subjective. Ayurvedic practitioners recommend that after washing hands, one should eat a meal with only the five fingers, without food touching the palm, while sitting on the floor cross-legged to improve digestion. Experts say that when a person eats with their hands, the portion size is in control and they tend not to overeat. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking to The Week, Payal Kothari, gut health nutritionist and wellness coach, said that eating with hands helps people connect with their culture and heritage and it has other benefits. 'Hands and eyes can also detect the temperature and texture of the food, helping your body prepare for digestion.' According to her, people also become more mindful of what they are eating. Eating with hands can boost immunity as it can reportedly expose us to beneficial bacteria present in our skin, mouth, and gut that can protect us from harmful pathogens. With inputs from agencies
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Gross' or cultural? Indian-origin woman eating with hand on London Tube divides the Internet
A video of an Indian-origin woman eating curry and rice with her hand aboard a London Tube train has triggered a fierce online debate, with reactions ranging from cultural appreciation to outrage. Originally shared by TikTok user @ub1ub2 and later reposted by X user @RadioGenoa, the clip shows the woman seated casually on the train, enjoying her meal in the traditional Indian style – using her hand – while speaking loudly on the phone. Sharing the video, the X user wrote, 'RIP London.' Watch the video here: RIP London. — RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) May 27, 2025 Since its upload, the clip has garnered over a million views and prompted a sea of reactions. While some users found the moment relatable or culturally significant, others criticised it. Many labelled the behaviour as 'unhygienic' and 'inappropriate' for a public setting like the London Underground. The woman's loud phone conversation also drew criticism, with several viewers noting that it could be disruptive to fellow passengers. Others commented that she 'should have used cutlery' to eat. 'Asians and Indians eat rice and fish with their hands, so what? She's not bothering anyone except maybe the curry smell. It is rather pungent to someone not used to it. But no one around her seems to mind except the person videoing her. At least she's not running around stabbing or assaulting people, eh?' a user wrote. 'If you're a guest in someone's country. Be grateful and adapt,' another user commented. 'Aside from eating in public with your fingers like that… Imagine touching all those rails and ticket kiosks and handles and then just putting your fingers in your mouth,' a third user reacted. 'Gross,' a fourth user said. Eating with hands is a rooted cultural practice in India. It is believed that the act of eating with one's hands engages all the senses, enhancing the overall dining experience. This practice is especially common in South Indian and rural households, where meals are enjoyed on banana leaves or metal plates.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National Grid boss: Heathrow and TfL outages not ‘systemic' network issues
The boss of National Grid has said recent outages at Heathrow airport and the London Tube are not evidence of reliability issues in the UK's power network. John Pettigrew told the PA news agency the two incidents were 'isolated and unconnected' and added that the resilience of the power grid is 'very robust'. Heathrow was forced to close for most of the day on March 21 because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation which started the previous night, disrupting more than 270,000 air passenger journeys. And on Monday, Transport for London (TfL) was forced to close the Elizabeth, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines after a fault on National Grid's transmission network. The malfunction also caused a blaze at an electrical substation in Maida Vale. Mr Pettigrew said on Thursday: 'In terms of broader resilience for network, I'd say that these incidents are not pointing to anything systemic.' Power networks are being more closely scrutinised across Europe after a massive outage hit vast swathes of Spain last month. The country's energy minister Sara Aagesen said earlier this week that the blackout was triggered by a sudden loss of power at a substation in Granada. However, investigations are ongoing into what caused the failure, and why it triggered such a huge power cut. Mr Pettigrew said: 'It will be important to look at the outcome of that investigation and see what it means for us.' National Grid, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange, owns vast swathes of the power grid across Britain. It is partway through a £60 billion investment programme across the energy networks it manages, including the so-called Great Grid Upgrade in England, Scotland and Wales. The works are a large part of the Government's plans to decarbonise the power grid by 2030, which also involves building vast amounts of new wind and solar farms. Mr Pettigrew said the switch to renewable energy sources and the fast changes to how the energy grid works would not raise the risks of blackouts in the UK. He said: 'The UK, we have world class reliability. We invest massively in the asset health and resilience of the network. 'If you look at some of the core indicators of the overall condition of the network (such as unplanned unavailability of assets) that actually continued to improve over the last decade.' He added: 'There's no evidence of any deterioration in the reliability of the network. We just have to keep focused on it.' Mr Pettigrew is to step down later this year after nearly a decade in the job, to be replaced by Shell executive Zoe Yujnovich.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National Grid boss: Heathrow and TfL outages not ‘systemic' network issues
The boss of National Grid has said recent outages at Heathrow airport and the London Tube are not evidence of reliability issues in the UK's power network. John Pettigrew told the PA news agency the two incidents were 'isolated and unconnected' and added that the resilience of the power grid is 'very robust'. Heathrow was forced to close for most of the day on March 21 because of a fire at a nearby electrical substation which started the previous night, disrupting more than 270,000 air passenger journeys. And on Monday, Transport for London (TfL) was forced to close the Elizabeth, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines after a fault on National Grid's transmission network. The malfunction also caused a blaze at an electrical substation in Maida Vale. Mr Pettigrew said on Thursday: 'In terms of broader resilience for network, I'd say that these incidents are not pointing to anything systemic.' Power networks are being more closely scrutinised across Europe after a massive outage hit vast swathes of Spain last month. The country's energy minister Sara Aagesen said earlier this week that the blackout was triggered by a sudden loss of power at a substation in Granada. However, investigations are ongoing into what caused the failure, and why it triggered such a huge power cut. Mr Pettigrew said: 'It will be important to look at the outcome of that investigation and see what it means for us.' National Grid, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange, owns vast swathes of the power grid across Britain. It is partway through a £60 billion investment programme across the energy networks it manages, including the so-called Great Grid Upgrade in England, Scotland and Wales. The works are a large part of the Government's plans to decarbonise the power grid by 2030, which also involves building vast amounts of new wind and solar farms. Mr Pettigrew said the switch to renewable energy sources and the fast changes to how the energy grid works would not raise the risks of blackouts in the UK. He said: 'The UK, we have world class reliability. We invest massively in the asset health and resilience of the network. 'If you look at some of the core indicators of the overall condition of the network (such as unplanned unavailability of assets) that actually continued to improve over the last decade.' He added: 'There's no evidence of any deterioration in the reliability of the network. We just have to keep focused on it.' Mr Pettigrew is to step down later this year after nearly a decade in the job, to be replaced by Shell executive Zoe Yujnovich.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Modi warns Pakistan: India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pic) on Monday (May 12) issued a stern warning to Pakistan, asserting that India will 'not tolerate any nuclear blackmail' and will deliver a 'befitting response to any terror attack on its territory.' In his first address to the nation since the India–Pakistan ceasefire was announced, the Prime Minister outlined three key pillars of India's security doctrine, emphasising, 'We won't differentiate between governments that sponsor terrorism and terrorist masterminds.' Calling Operation Sindoor a 'new precedent in the fight against terrorism,' Modi declared, 'Operation Sindoor is an unwavering pledge for justice.' The address followed four days of hostilities and came after Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike launched on May 7 targeting nine terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. 'The brutal attack in Pahalgam shook the nation and the world,' Modi said. 'Innocent civilians were targeted based on their religion, and families were brutally murdered in front of their children.' He stressed that the entire nation—across communities and political parties—stood united against terrorism, adding, 'We gave our armed forces complete freedom and a free hand to act against this brutal act of terror.' Referring to the global context, the Prime Minister remarked, 'This is not an era of war, but it is not an era of terrorism either. Zero tolerance against terrorism is the guarantee of a better world.' Highlighting the precision and boldness of India's response, Modi said, 'Pakistan had prepared to strike our borders, but India hit them at their core.' Praising the armed forces for their bravery, he added, 'Our soldiers achieved their objectives. I dedicate this operation to every mother, sister, and daughter of our country.' He underscored that Indian missile and drone strikes had not only destroyed terrorist hideouts and training centres but also shattered Pakistan's morale. 'The terrorists never imagined such a bold move by India. But when the nation stands united with 'Nation First' as its guiding principle, firm decisions yield impactful results,' he said. Modi mentioned key terrorist hubs like Bahawalpur and Muridke, saying these had long been linked to global terror incidents including the 9/11 attacks in the US, the London Tube bombings, and several attacks in India. 'Since terrorists dared to insult the dignity of Indian women, India eliminated the headquarters of terror,' he asserted. He revealed that Operation Sindoor had resulted in the elimination of over 100 dangerous terrorists, including key figures involved in plotting attacks on India. 'Those who orchestrated threats against India have been swiftly neutralised,' he said. Modi stated that India's precision strikes left Pakistan in a state of desperation, pushing it to launch indiscriminate attacks on Indian civilian and military targets, including schools, colleges, gurudwaras, temples, and homes. 'This aggression only exposed Pakistan's vulnerabilities. Their drones and missiles crumbled before India's advanced air defense systems,' he added. He disclosed that, following severe losses, Pakistan's military reached out to India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the afternoon of May 10. 'By then, India had already dismantled large-scale terrorist infrastructure, eliminated key militants, and reduced Pakistan's terror hubs to ruins,' he said. Pakistan, in its appeal, assured India that it would cease all terrorist activities and military aggression. Modi stated that India, after reviewing the situation, decided to temporarily suspend its counter-operations against terrorist and military targets in Pakistan. However, he emphasised, 'This suspension is not a conclusion. India will continue to assess Pakistan's every move to ensure that future actions align with its commitments.' The Prime Minister made it clear that 'terror and talks cannot coexist, terror and trade cannot go hand in hand and water and blood can never flow together…Any talks with Pakistan will focus on terrorism and PoK.' - The Statesman/ANN
