Poppadom etiquette

[Cheeseybiteforme]

I am curious as to the etiquette of sharing poppadoms in a group meal.

a) Do you see a pile and break a piece off the top one and then others do the same

b) karate chop through all the poppadoms then take pieces when you want

c) take a whole poppadom and break into pieces on your own side plate so you have a pile of poppadom

I am option A and was flabbergasted at seeing C on Saturday.

C all the way. We have to be allergen conscious at our house and I'm not eating if someone else has been mauling it.

C

Just to be clear with A you only touch the bit that you are snapping off and do not touch the rest of it

Better than scrabbling for each other's leftovers.

C. Ew A is just unhygienic I really wouldn’t want anyone’s hands on my popadoms.

Re the naan. There’s no such thing as sharing a naan!

CCCCCCC only option for me. I do not share food though. Hate each having a bit of a dish or sharing dessert. I order what I want and eat it all 🫣

C, B and A would be a weird huh moment for me, I’ve only ever seen C

C. of course. WHy on earth would you be flabbergasted (unless you did not order enough for one per person)

I’m an A OP and I find it easy to do without fingering anyone else’s bit of poppadom. Thumb and forefinger on the poppadom, apply pressure, take whatever snaps off. Only person fingering my Indian crisps is me 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm really surprised by the results here. I first started going to Indian restaurants regularly with a Sikh friend years ago and followed his behaviour (A). Never worried about hygiene (you only touch the bit you are breaking off anyway) and I don't generally go to restaurants with greedy bastards who want to take the lot.
For me an Indian (or a Chinese) meal is for sharing.

What do you 'C' people do with prawn crackers in a Chinese restaurant? Count them out and deliver them equally with a clean pair of chopsticks perhaps?

A

but then I only really go out for food with family, friends etc I suppose maybe if it was a work thing where ur not as clear on other folks cleanliness u might not want them touching things ur eating

I'm A but I only ever share poppadoms with close family, so it's fine.

C all have one each.

I find that restaurants rarely give enough poppadoms for everyone to take their own, especially if they are ‘complimentary’.

I think it depends who you're with. If it was colleagues or people I didn't know well, I'd probably do C. With my two besties at our regular curry nights, we do B!

A, your hands don't touch anything except the bit you're breaking to eat yourself. I've never ever been for a meal with anyone who has done anything apart from A.

C unless I’m at home with family, then A

Yes! So glad we're not the only ones who do a poppadom pizza.
Obviously you need a whole one on your plate to do that!

D) keep the poppadoms on the serving plate and everyone awkwardly takes pieces of their "own" instead of doing C

Take one from the pile. Exactly like I do with poppadoms. If there are more left, take another one.

Not really that complicated?! Maybe I'm just an incredibly smart genius to be able to do this without mental calculations?!

Definitely C

A. Manage to do it without smearing my hands and bodily fluids all over them.

When I go out with my friends X and Y. Y is a C. This is fine. X and myself are A's. Y eats all their poppadom then starts on ours and does A.

No take a whole prawn cracker at a time not half of one. No snapping involved.

Option A. No-one else has touched the bit you are eating. Poppodums are fragile and crispy - you grasp a piece between your fingers and break it off. The only hands that touch it are your own.
Much more hygienic than taking nuts from a shared bowl.

But isn't there a risk that someone you were with might accidentally brush a finger against one of the other prawn crackers and give everyone at the table yellow fever, diphtheria or similar?