Recently, a video of New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani eating biryani with his hand made the rounds online-and the internet had a field day. The video, seemingly ordinary to many South Asians, sparked commentary ranging from admiration to confusion to mockery. But beyond the jokes, the moment offers an oddly telling reflection of the society we live in.
At first glance, it’s just a man eating biryani. But Mamdani, a Ugandan-born, Indian-American elected official, isn’t just any man. His visible embrace of South Asian culture, especially in the Western political sphere, is both celebrated and scrutinized. And when he chose to eat biryani the way millions do, by hand, it suddenly became political, meme-worthy, and symbolic.
The fascination speaks to how cultural acts, especially when performed publicly by figures of power, are no longer private or neutral. What’s “normal” in one context becomes a spectacle in another. In Mamdani’s case, it also delves into the deeper debate about colonialism and what is deemed as ‘civilized’.
It also reveals how diasporic communities often wrestle with authenticity. The hand-eating sparked debates on who is “real,” who is performing, and who has the right to represent. For many immigrants and their children, these small gestures-what you eat, how you eat-become loaded choices.
@ZohranKMamdani eating Astoria’s fav biriyani with his hands has brought him needless controversy. Everyday millions gorge on their 🌭 or 🍔 with their hands across the “civilised world”. Truth is, we may eat ‘propah’ with🍴to survive but we relish great meal only with our hands. pic.twitter.com/JUASv4r1QP
— DOINBENGAL (@doinbengal) July 1, 2025
Ultimately, cultural traditions-like eating with your hands-are practices rooted in history, geography, and personal identity, not markers of civility or sophistication. The assumption that certain behaviors are more “refined” than others often stems from colonial, Western frameworks that dismiss other customs as lesser. But civilization isn’t determined by cutlery or etiquette manuals; it’s reflected in empathy, dignity, and respect for difference. To conflate cultural habits with backwardness is to ignore the richness and logic within those traditions. Eating with your hands, for instance, is as much about connection, mindfulness, and heritage as it is about nourishment.
