What is your take on eating with your hands? While enjoying some pap and meat, Nick Hamman recently stirred up a flavourful online discussion after sharing his perspective on the age-old practice of eating with one’s hands.
Johannesburg, South Africa (11 May 2025) – Well-known South African radio presenter and food content creator, Nick Hamman, caught the attention of several fans and food enthusiasts after sharing his valuable two cents on eating food using his hands.
Eating using one’s hands is a common practice among people everywhere really. Here in South Africa, many enjoy pap, ujeqe (steamed bread), meat, samoosa, boerie rolls and several other meals using their hands whether in their homes or social settings.
In a video shared on his socials, Nick responded to a comment by a Canadian woman who expressed her disapproval with a previous clip shared by Nick of a chef using his hands instead of utensils to eat.
In his response, filmed while he savoured a traditional South African meal of pap and meat with his hands at a local restaurant, Nick passionately defended the practice:
“Some of the oldest and richest cultures in the world eat with their hands. They did because it worked back then, and they still do now. Sometimes, the most cultured, measured thing you can actually do is put down the knife and fork, feel the food in your hands and connect to it with your heart and soul. Any chef worth their salt understands that concept.
“And yes, it’s amazing,” as he enjoyed his pap.
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Contrary to the initial criticism Nick received, his views on the value behind enjoying a meal with hands was met with a wave of positivity from the internet by users who responded with comments expressing how food tastes different or better when you eat with your hands or how on one ever complains about pizza being eaten with hands.
Whether you’re grabbing the cutlery or opting to just use your hands when it’s time for your next meal, the post simply serves to remind us that it’s always good to keep an open mind when it comes to different people’s cultural practices – and surely many can agree on that.
Sources: Nick Hamman
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