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Q: Why do Chinese people hold on to the wrapping paper when eating McDonald's burgers?
Are they afraid to touch what will eventually end up down their throat?
They don`t just do that with McDonalds, but anything that they can`t hold with chopsticks. They`re not afraid of it, they just don`t want to get their hands dirty, sticky, whatever. I think it`s practical, actually.
But, they're eating it! "Get their hands dirty"? What? So for all these years...we have been not been let in on this little secret? Eating hamburgers gets your hands dirty. Got it!
I lived in Harbin for 5 years, waking up in the morning gets your hands, feet, body dirty. The dredded hamburger is the last of my worries.
Jnusb416:
They unwrap it as the eat it...? Unless you're talking about a crazy person.
To understand why you will have to really understand Chinese thinking. For them, hands are ALWAYS DIRTY, so hands do not touch the food to be eaten. Your hands touch money, handrails, articles you pick, thus probably "contaminated" with hepatitis and many other diseases.
Have you ever stop and think "THIS IS CHINA" when walking into a restaurant and seeing "Do Not SMOKE" signs on all walls and columns, and the first thing the waitress will do is set an ash tray at the table, and a package of face tissues?.
We do the same in Puerto Rico, our hands are dirty and we dont want to touch our food with our dirty hands.
lauramsr:
I was about to say....it is a matter of being clean and civilized. No matter if you have hand-sanitizer...you must use the wrapping to avoid touching the food. BTW, I am from Puerto Rico as well....what have you been doing in Beijing?
GuilinRaf:
Que tal! Soy maestro de ingles desde hace cuatro a;os y recientemente me mude a Beijing luego de estar en Guilin. Y tu? Bienvenida!
GuilinRaf:
I got a thumbs down? Oh well, Hagar the Horrible once said that he did not wash his hands before dinner, that way he could get a better grip on his food.....
They don't eat pizza with their hands either, because of that fact they think hands are dirty. They eat hamburgers the same way they eat bao zi.
Actually, I'd do that for somethings, but only because of the practicality of not getting my hands all greasy...
Don't the better hamburgers come in a box, At home only the cheaper burgers come wrapped.
I don't see what wrong with eating with a wrap. I often will eat a home barbequed burger in a napkin cause the grease and topping will leak or fall. Only problem I would have is if they ate the paper for the flavour.
I also eat while holding the wrapper. It contains the burger better and I don't have to worry about ketchup or condiments getting on my clothes.
i think they not actually want to avoid touching food with dirty hands but they want to avoid their hand being dirty with food particals like kechup, chees, so no need to wash after eating.
