[nabs-l] Blindness vs. other minorities

[Ashley Bramlett]

the finger foods we use should be done carefully. Its greasy, messy food 
usually. I'ts so easy to
spill crumbs or ketchup or something on you; I've done such a thing too 
often with sandwiches, chicken strips and fries. Wash hands before and after 
eating. As to health risk, I don't know; maybe it would be as unhealthy to 
eat with hands a typical meal as sandwiches. Anyway besides being 
inappropriate its very messy and not practical.
As Bridgit said those cultures promoting hands to eat usually use something 
with it and I think they use a few fingers or cup their hand a certain way. 
And not all food is eaten with hands. They use spoons for food that is more 
liquidy.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Arielle Silverman
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2011 5:47 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Blindness vs. other minorities

Good point Bridgit. But, then why can we use our hands for non-sticky
things like fries and sandwiches? Wouldn't that carry the same health
risks as eating spaghetti with our hands and then washing hands
afterward to wash off the sticky stuff?
I know I'm getting a little pedantic here, but just saying that before
we assume social norms must be followed by everyone, it's worth
considering what their real purpose is.
Best,
Arielle

On 11/21/11, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com> wrote:
> This, to me, seems like the thread has strayed into the almost absurd,
> smile. Though eating with one's hands is done in some cultures, it's
> best to remember that these cultures often use some kind of flat bread
> as a utensil of sorts. They're usually not eating everything with their
> hands, but are holding another food item in which to scoop food up with.
>
> We also have to consider how hygenic this is. Even after washing hands,
> we continue to touch objects. Eating food with our hands could lead to
> health-related issues.
>
> Not to mention the mess, grin!
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> Message: 17
> Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:24:33 -0700
> From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Blindness vs. Other Minority Groups
> Message-ID:
>
> <CALAYQJB6isMAqunJN-=YWXbhNWL9g_tvnWg4ZTW0kvs9yTrvMQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Sean,
> I believe eating with one's hands is more common than using silverware
> in some cultures. So, eating with silverware is another example of a
> norm that is culturally constructed but is largely arbitrary, and as far
> as I know, eating with one's hands never harms anyone. I fail to see why
> eating with the hands would be discouraged in an "ideal" society, unless
> you are arguing that an "ideal" society is one in which people always
> conform to common standards, and I think Marc is arguing the opposite
> point. I think expecting blind people to conform to sighted norms is
> similar to expecting someone from a culture where eating is done with
> the hands to use a fork and spoon. There is definitely merit to both
> sides of this larger issue, but the issue of whether or not to expect
> conformity in general strays from the blindness realm.
> >From a pragmatic perspective, I think it is beneficial to give blind
> children as many tools as possible to attain success and acceptance,
> including information about how the sighted majority behaves and what
> they expect. As blind children grow into adulthood, they can make their
> own choices about how much they want to conform and satisfy the
> expectations of others versus maintaining their individual identities.
> This is a balance that all people deal with, sighted and blind. Best,
> Arielle
>
>
>
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