Indigenous People Eating Etiquette
I was mostly around Kayan culture but I think these customs apply to most indigenous people in Borneo. I am not passing any judgment. This is just the way things are. It is a male-dominated, mostly Christian culture, as opposed to the male-dominated, mostly Muslim culture of peninsular Malaysia. You may experience the men eating at a separate table and eating first. It is also considered impolite to have a knife on the table, probably from the days when nobody wanted big parangs (big knifes like machetes) around while they were eating. They mostly cut and eat their food with a spoon, although usually a fork is provided too. I just ate the way it is done in many SE Asian countries, i.e., with a spoon in my primary hand and pushing with a fork in the other hand. If the meat or something is too tough to cut with a spoon, then just pick it up with your hands and bite it.At one meal the head...
