[xncl]

I find that a ton of things (such as cutlery use) that we consider western is really just wealth. You're more likely to use a cutlery if you can afford it, and for most why buy it when I have hands and bread.

Cutlery is clearly the superior way to eat many types of food. But cutlery, reusable or not, costs money.

When I travelled in eastern Europe it was common to have only spoons (for soups) and rice dishes. Meat was always eaten by hand.

Soups served with entire boiled chicken legs were common (although usually the meat was often a luxury and only bought/killed that day to respect my visit to their home).

The legs were expected to be eaten by hand and cleaned to the bone (cartilage and all). Chicken stomachs were my most hated and most commonly eaten...

In the poorest places home made bread was used in lieu of cutlery so much so that I began to make gifts of cutlery to the poorest homes I was invited to all of which they use to this day (of course the new children miss out and must eat in the old we way).

Sorry for the disjointed nature of this post I find it hard to write on a phone.