Some people will tell you that dipping your grilled cheese sandwich in ketchup is tantamount to heresy. I say it’s delicious and really not that different than dipping the same sandwich in tomato soup. So, allow me to start with this preface. If someone tells you that you’re “eating it wrong,” it’s worthwhile to try it “their way” at least once or twice. And then, if you decide “your way” is better, go ahead and keep “eating it wrong.” Food should bring joy.
With all of that out of the way, let’s take a look at all the foods we may have been “eating wrong” all this time.
Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings: Hooligans and Holes
You can feel a little like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark every time you handle a xiaolongbao. The dumpling skin is (supposed to be) thin and delicate. One wrong move and that hot soup will come spilling out… but is that actually what you want to do?
If you follow the official instructions from the legendary Din Tai Fung restaurant chain, you should poke a small hole and slurp out the soup before consuming the rest of the dumpling. This way, you don’t scorch your mouth an explosion of potentially scalding soup. Check out this demo video courtesy of First We Feast. And never take a half-bite.
But, if you were to ask Eddie Huang of Fresh Off the Boat and Baohaus fame, people who poke holes in their xiaolongbao are “hooligans.” People who poke a hole in their soup dumpling are eating it wrong. Instead, he recommends a sauce sauna, as demonstrated in this clip from Huang’s World. (Warning: He uses colorful language.)
Vietnamese Pho: The Sauce Boss Situation
My love for Vietnamese food is well-documented. A bowl of pho is arguably the world’s most perfect food. However, for years, I was probably eating it wrong. I didn’t know any better and this was well before the advent of food videos on YouTube. You see, I just did what I saw everyone else doing. That meant squirting the sriracha and hoisin sauce directly into the broth and stirring it around.
Apparently, and this is how I’ve been eating pho for a few years now, you’re supposed to put the sauce on the side. Dip your pieces of meat in the sauce, leaving your broth unsullied aside from some Thai basil and a squirt of lime. How do you eat your bowl of pho?
Sushi: You’re Probably Eating It Wrong
Just as I did what I saw everyone else doing with pho, such was also the case with how I ate my sushi. Truth be told, it’s how I still eating my sushi today, even though I know I’m probably “eating it wrong.” I take some wasabi and mix it in with my soy sauce using my chopsticks, almost like making a roux. I’ll then pick up my piece of nigiri sushi and dip it right-side-up, meaning on the “rice” side of the piece.
And that’s “wrong.” Did you know that, aside from maki rolls, the soy sauce should almost never touch the rice on sushi? It should only touch the fish… but how do you dip a piece of nigiri sushi upside down? Allow Chef Naomichi Yasuda to demonstrate.
Pizza: An NYC Slice of Life
Former Ohio governor and US presidential hopeful John Kasich famously made headlines when ate pizza “like an idiot.” While on the campaign trail in Queens, New York, Kasich ate a pizza with a fork and knife. To New Yorkers, that’s madness. You pick up a slice with your hands, folding it lengthwise if necessary. But, it’s actually standard practice to eat pizza with a knife and fork in Italy.
So, who’s eating it wrong?
For the record, I do both, depending on the slice. If it’s coming from a place like Domino’s, that’s all hands. When I enjoy more of a Neapolitan style pizza, perhaps one from a brick oven, then it might be a knife and fork. I think I ended up doing both during my visit to the legendary Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn.
Chicken Wings: The Flats Struggle
This one fascinates me! All this time, I’ve preferred drums over flats (and I only recently learned the term “flats”) because they’re just easier to eat. As it turns out, I was probably eating wings wrong, because there’s an easier way! Me, I usually eat the top and the bottom, then I’ll break the two bones apart to form a V, and eat the rest.
Watching Hot Ones with Sean Evans, I’ve seen all sorts of techniques, but most guests don’t eat wings clean to the bone. What we’re “supposed to be doing” is breaking the two bones apart from the beginning, giving them a twist, and removing them clean from the meat. Witchcraft! The clip below from The Rachael Ray Show is a decent demo. Or, you can try to pull off most of the meat in one pull, like in this ZAGAT video.
How do you eat your chicken wings?
Burgers: Flipping Out Over Juicy Patties
Last but not least, we have the mighty burger. Surely we haven’t been eating it wrong all this time, have we? How could you possibly mess up eating a hamburger? Well, maybe we’ve been looking at things the wrong way, because you’re supposed to flip it upside down? Based on this Food Insider video, the science holds up!
Eat, Drink and Be Merry
As I said at the top, even if you’re not eating food the way you’re “supposed to” eat it, that’s okay. The most important part is that you’re having a good time and enjoying those delicious flavors. Because even if we come from all sorts of different culinary backgrounds, we have more in common that we might think. Because what is a xiaolongbao but another take on a gyoza, perogy or tortellini?
Just don’t eat your xiaolongbao with sour cream or marinara. Because that would just be wrong.
I’m a fan of saying there’s no wrong way to enjoy your meal.