Wraith1

Since this is a Muslim country, are you still able to eat with your left hand using utensils or should I be forced into using my right hand?

I could buy the food and eat at home but that would be sad.

Hovite

Wraith1, I am also left handed and use that hand to eat in cafes and restaurants with spoon, fork, chopsticks - any utensil there is to hand, also at home with fingers for Marmite on wholemeal toast for breakfast. Forgive me but from my viewpoint it is a very strange question you ask. I have worked in Jordan, Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia and I have never been forced to eat with my right hand or my fingers anywhere. Malaysia is a wonderfully diverse and multicultural country.

Twixy

It's a legit question, in the past using the wrong hand for certain activities was seen as deviant, even criminal behavior.

Gunnar45

Nobody forbids you to eat with your left hand or will force you to use the right hand.
Not even in Saudi Arabia.
But putting food in your mouth with your left hand or giving/receiving money, etc with will be frowned at not only in Muslim countries.
As it involves politeness, it is of course best as always to try to adapt as much as possible.
I have the same problem and know it can be difficult.

But when eating with knife and fork, one normally holds the fork in the left hand.
I do this also when in restaurants here.

bakedbean

As all above. Ditto.

Wraith, I think you said you were considering Ipoh to live? Well, it's my understanding that Ipoh is predominantly Chinese racially, much like Penang.

Sure, there are pockets of predominantly Malay (Muslim) areas. I believe the north-east can be included, but you'll find Malaysia to be quite multicultural.

OriginalSunshine

Even the Chinese in Sarawak freak a bit with the using raw left hand to eat food. Utensils are no worry.

Hovite

Gunnar45 points out the difference, that is hand. If you use utensils this will not be frowned upon. I have never been faced with the situation in Malaysia where I have to eat with fingers apart from family BBQS. There may be food places where the tradition is to eat with your fingers but I have never come across any. You really need to spend time in Malaysia and experience the culture to meet local people and absorb the atmosphere. You say that using the wrong hand is criminal behaviour. Please tell me the part of the criminal code for Malaysia and Sabah where this exists.

InVinoVeritas

I was told that when giving or receiving in Malaysia it should be done with both hands and that does seem to be true. I never seem to have both hands free at the same time but so far I seem to have got away with it

Gunnar45

IVV,
If not with both hands then at least with the right hand.

Hovite,
Regarding eating with utensils, some items like fowl, oysters and crustaceans require hands on. Not to mention 'finger food' :-).
So, for those better use the right hand.

This is not some muslim only thing, the same applies for all countries where the use of toilet paper isn't common practice.

InVinoVeritas

Talk of finger food and toilet paper is putting me off my dinner.

Gunnar45

IVV,
Just make sure all involved only used their right hands


But then again, if they are righthanded...........?

Bipat

Just noticed these posts. Hindus, also do not eat food with the left hand.
If using utensils, cups, glasses, serving self with a spoon etc left hand is OK. If you are eating with bare right hand, then you must serve yourself with spoon and left hand from any communal dish.
I have never found it a problem (part of a Hindu family), certainly an adult using bare left hand would cause other guests to 'flinch'. Children in the learning process are excused. Yes it originated as a 'toilet paper' thing but it is mainly custom/good manners.
One of my adult children is left handed, they have not had a problem. Many jobs need both hands surgeons, musicians etc. Just a matter of learning.

Davita

This thread is interesting vis-a-vis the latest crashes of Airbus 320 (Air Asia and GermanAir).
To those uninformed the A320 is hand-flown with a joystick using the left-hand, if flown by Captain, and right-hand, if flown by Co-pilot.
Both those crashes have been identified as controlled by the Co-pilot. Maybe that's a phenomena air accident investigators should look into.

Meanwhile....my cocktails are usually stirred by the Flight Attendant and I never notice which hand they use...my eyes are elsewhere.......

Britmal

Aww come on guys! This is not Qatar, where my wife, who is a left hander, was forced to sign her completed immigration and fingerprint forms with her right hand. This is not Saudi where any use of the left hand in eating is severely frowned upon. Don't you know where you are?!

Pulaski

I doubt there is any cause for concern there. I am naturally "very" righthanded, but I had little difficulty learning to change gear in a manual car when I learned to drive. Later I had more trouble learning to change gear with my right hand (than I originally had, learning to drive using my left hand to change gear) after emigrating to the US. Now I can change gear fairly easily with either hand.