We eat with our hands

Someone mentioned to us that Brazilians largely don't eat with their hands. Since hearing this, Carol and I have observed watermelon and pizza eaten with forks and knives and french-fries eaten with toothpicks. Sometimes our cultural observations are wrong so we checked with our friends Herbert and Martha. They confirmed that while there is variation, Brazilians generally don't like to touch their food. I had the opportunity to observe the full spectrum of finger-food-eating today. Four friends had finished a hike and were grabbing a snack at a nearby bar. They ordered two pastries and cut them into four pieces. One lady cut her piece into smaller pieces which she ate with a fork - civilized. Two ladies used the not-quite-paper napkins from the table to hold theirs - and now I know what the not-quite-paper napkins are for. The forth lady was a little loud, chatting with me, drinking beer, and feeding pastries to the dogs. That lady tore pieces of the pastry off and ate them with her greasy fingers - American style. It does seem a little primitive, seeing it from the outside, and a good reminder to be a little more cultured with our finger foods moving forward.