Is She Right or is She Wrong?
Summary
A straphanger claims she's got perfect chopstick form, but she's not here to judge anyone who reaches for a fork at Chinese restaurants. Well, sort of. She tells Kareem it's not embarrassing to ask for utensils because everyone should enjoy their food their own way, even if watching chopstick novices eat "pains" her. The contradiction runs deep. When Kareem pushes back on whether stabbing a dumpling with a fork is acceptable, she insists that's how you can enjoy it, though definitely not how you're supposed to eat it. She admits her own mother sometimes needs a fork when she wants to "shovel the food in." Kareem isn't buying the tolerance act and calls out the take for what it is: judgment dressed up as open-mindedness.
Full Transcript
So what's your take? It's not embarrassing to ask for a fork at Chinese restaurants. 100% disagree. When I'm eating with people who don't know how to use chopsticks, it's it pains me to watch them eat.
I know, but it's like riding a bike. You have to, you have to practice. Makes perfect. Yeah, but some people don't want to learn how to use chopsticks, and that's fine. Like my mother, sometimes I'll ask for a fork. What I want to shovel the food in my mouth.
Would you say you have perfect chopstick form then? Yes, really. Yes, I'm really good at it.
But what's the point? It's the way it was meant to be eaten. I feel like there's certain food that you should eat chopsticks with, like dumplings or sushi or noodles.
Okay, so what if someone stabbed the dumpling with a fork? You would go, "Oh, that's how you eat it"? I wouldn't say that's how you eat it, but I would say that's how you can enjoy it. Enjoy your food. Everyone should be able to enjoy things in their own way.
Look, in theory you're taking we shouldn't judge them for, but I still 100% disagree.