Etiquette Summary

This chapter opens with a discussion of etiquette, related to table manners. Allende points out that most cultures in the world today eat with their hands, not using utensils of any kind. Forks, knives, and spoons are inventions of European-based cultures that tend to relate to everything through the sense of sight, to the almost complete exclusion of the other four senses, especially that of touch. We also are taught to respect physical distance from other people and to ignore our own bodies.

Handling and preparing food joins the sense of touching with the pleasure of satisfying hunger. Allende reminds readers to notice the textures of different ingredients when making cookies. She describes some of her most memorable meals as those that she ate with her hands. Allende also describes some famous images of orgies, in which the participants are eating with their...