However within Indian culture there is an old saying that, Eating food with your hands feeds not only the body but also the mind and the spirit.. INTERESTING???? keep on reading :)
The practice of eating with the hands originated within Ayurvedic teachings. The Vedic people knew the power held in the hand. The ancient native tradition of eating food with the hands is derived from the mudra practice, which is prevalent in many aspects within Hinduism. Mudras are used during mediation and are very prominent within the many classical forms of dance, such as "Bharatnatyam".
The hands are considered the most precious organ of action. This is linked to the Vedic prayer of
Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam�
Karagre vasate Laksmih karamule Sarasvati Karamadhye tu Govindah prabhate karadarsanam�
(On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi, on the base of your fingers is Goddess Saraswati; in the middle of your fingers is Lord Govinda), which we recite whilst looking at our palms. Thus, this shloka suggests that all the divinity lies in human effort.
Our hands and feet are said to be the conduits of the five elements. The Ayurvedic texts teach that each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. The thumb is agni (fire) (you might have seen children sucking their thumb, this is nature's way of aiding the digestion in children at an age when they are unable to do an physical activity to aid the digestion), the forefinger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether - the tiny intercellular spaces in the human body), the ring finger is prithvi (earth) and the little finger is jal (water).
Hmm...Now that you know the medical fact behind this habit which had been practiced for centuries.. y not try out yourself too????