How to Eat Like a Sri Lankan and Combine the Flavors! Sri Lankans are cognizant of the fact that manual mixing enhances the flavor of rice and curry. When using a utensil or fork, the flavor and consistency change. Be cautious, however, lest food seep past the tips of your fingertips. I am pleased to state that after three years in Sri Lanka, I not only comprehend why individuals eat with their hands, but I now follow suit.
Table of Contents
- How to Eat Like a Sri Lankan?
- Drink tea, at a minimum, twice per day.
- Eat Rice
- Spicy dishes
- Eating rapidly. We should speak with one another later.
- Eat plenty of food
- Dispose of your spoons and flatware. Employ your hands when eating.
How to Eat Like a Sri Lankan?
It was while visiting a small roadside café in Sri Lanka that I first observed individuals utilizing their hands to consume. During my childhood, I consumed numerous Hollywood and Bollywood films that featured Mithun Chakraborty engaging in impromptu dance sequences after defeating a dozen antagonists. However, nothing seemed more peculiar than observing him consume food directly from his mother’s hand. It made me feel prepared to learn that dining with hands is a custom in both Sri Lanka and India. In essence, the actuality diverges significantly from the depiction that occurs on film. My peers continue to ridicule me due to the extensive spectrum of emotions that I was capable of expressing through my cheeks at the time.
The moral of the story emphasizes the significance of not only knowing what foods are consumed in other countries but also how they are prepared. “Favorite utensils” encompasses more than simply palms, chopsticks, or forks. I refer to every minute detail that defines the way in which a country views cuisine. To discover Sri Lankan cuisine, please refer to this page. But let’s begin if you wish to learn how to consume like a Sri Lankan.
Drink tea, at a minimum, twice per day.
From Sri Lanka, a cup of ceylon tea is waiting for you each morning. This initial cup is not included in the brunch service. You possess it immediately upon awakening, prior to your thoughts wandering in contemplation of the breakfast to prepare. It serves to rouse both the body and intellect, initiating the day.
At 4:00 pm, your second cup of tea will be delivered to you. This cup, which contains seven spoonfuls of sugar and milk, is a severe rebuke. If you were sluggishly drifting off at your workstation, you will now meet all of your deadlines, finish the tasks you have been putting off for months, and offer assistance to all of your coworkers, even if they do not require it.
It should not come as a surprise to Sri Lankans if the company employs a tea maker and server who prepare and serve tea twice daily and are well-versed in the recipe for your preferred variety.
Eat Rice
You are either 1) on a diet, 2) experimenting with your body in some fashion, or 3) if you are from Sri Lanka and you don’t consume rice and curry at least once a day, your mother is on vacation and you can’t turn on the rice cooker. You are effectively starving yourself to death, irrespective of whether you consume pasta for lunch, a burger and French fries for supper, or a half-loaf of bread for breakfast, because missing rice and curry is equivalent to not eating at all.
There are typically three to four curries available alongside rice. You ensure that your plate is covered in a substantial accumulation of rice, which hinders its portability to the table.Please bring your own refreshment. Place it within a stack of newspapers.
Sri Lankan-origin individuals never encounter difficulty deciding where to eat or what to consume for lunch. To be fair, your mother, not you, is to blame for the situation. Do you recall your initial cup of tea? Typically, a Sri Lankan mother will have a cup of tea around 5:00 a.m., immediately prior to preparing the family’s breakfast. You are chopping vegetables, frying papadam, and shredding a coconut in the wee hours of the morning while your spouse and children are peacefully asleep. What is the deal with Western mothers? Is it possible for a sandwich, a fruit, and a cookie to all fit snugly inside a zip-lock bag? Not all Sri Lankan mothers are identical.
Additionally, define a zipper-lock container. Overly elaborate. In Sri Lanka, rice and sambar are initially encased in a plastic sheet prior to being sandwiched between two layers of old newspaper for warmth. If any sauce remains, place it in a sealed plastic bag and stuff it with rice and newspaper.
Spicy dishes
A Sri Lankan considers excessive heat to be unacceptable; in truth, “tasty” and “spicy” are synonymous. Obviously, upon seeing the rice and curries that your mother has prepared for lunch, one will shed tears. However, additional chile essence improves more than just curries. Delectable snacks are prepared with mango and pineapple segments, along with chilli powder. Spicy omelettes contain every element that contributes to a delectable supper. Topping a Margherita pizza with chilli granules enhances its flavour.
Eating rapidly. We should speak with one another later.
Even when entertaining visitors, Sri Lankans are not accustomed to spending hours at the dinner table chatting, drinking, and eating. However, a series of occurrences transpire in a specific chronological sequence.
To begin, you and your loved ones are gathered in the living room to enjoy a cup of tea or another chilled beverage, such as cordial. You serve an artificial-tasting cordial, despite the fact that Sri Lanka is a tropical nation with an abundance of fresh produce. In all honesty, the rationale behind consuming cordial in an environment where fresh papayas and mangoes are readily available is beyond my comprehension. This area is designated for leisurely strolling, momentary gratification, and conversation.
Dinner follows, and its duration is restricted to the time required to consume a plate of rice and curry in the dining room. More precisely, a maximum of twenty minutes. Following that, extensive discussions on politics and current affairs ensue over cocktails. With the exception of two items: whisky and arrack. Assuming that you are the sole male
If you are a male from Sri Lanka, arrack or whisky are likely your preferred beverages. It was whisky with either a black label or a red label, for whatever purpose. Obviously, arrack, which is extracted from the juice of coconut flowers, is selected. Black-label beverages are served at all gatherings and celebrations, notwithstanding their more difficult-to-define nature.
It is prohibited under unwritten law in Sri Lanka for women to consume alcohol with men. You and your spouse, therefore, gather for a cup of coffee in the living room. Twentysomething and thirtysomething women in the city appreciate their cocktails, but not when their families are present.
Eat plenty of food
Promote an increased consumption of sustenance. Finally, there were additional ones. A Sri Lankan would never allow a guest to dine out of hunger. Observe the following indicators: Perspiration, the process of undoing the button on your trousers, and deep breathing are all indications that your actions are proceeding as intended. However, avoid deceiving your guests into thinking they are so filled that they are immobile. “Just eat some more, will you?” was her response.
Dispose of your spoons and flatware. Employ your hands when eating.
Since this is the only method to combine the flavours, you, as a Sri Lankan, are cognizant of the fact that manual mixing enhances the flavour of rice and curry. When using a utensil or fork, the flavour and consistency change. Be cautious, however, lest food seep past the tips of your fingertips. I am pleased to state that after three years in Sri Lanka, I not only comprehend why individuals eat with their hands, but I now follow suit.