Handmade in Bangladesh

"Madame wants the bread sliced?", the man behind the bakery's counter asked.

"Yes, please", I was gladly surprised since I hadn't seen a slicing machine in Dhaka so far.

Well,  I didn't this time either. In came a young man who took a knife and started slicing my bread. 

Most things are very handmade in Bangladesh.

Preparing food by hand is one thing, eating it with hands is another. 

I know, there are many countries where people eat with their hands. Bangladesh happens to be my first encounter with this phenomenon. 

Mixing rice and sauce with fingers to a mouthful is an art far beyond my abilities. Eating with a hand is not a privilege of the poor people, I have seen well manicured, diamond ringed fingers in the same activity. The most extreme experience was a dinner where a totally burkha covered woman ate with her hand, lifting the veil for every bite. And didn't make a mess.

Restaurants appealing to more Western clientele don't forbid eating with fingers but they try to discourage it. They have signs asking the customers to "enjoy your food with the utensils provided by us".

Dishwashers are not so common. Rather, there is house help washing up a heap of dishes several times a day, every day. 

Poor people wash their clothes by hand but I was shocked when I read in the newspaper that local hospitals in Dhaka get their laundry washed in the Buriganga River. The water quality in the river is mildly said suspicious and the bed linen will certainly not become very sterile.

Garbage recirculation is also done manually. Young boys (they are usually young boys) hang over their garbage vans on wheels, sort out everything by bare hands. Extremely dirty, hard and dangerous work.

Bangladeshi hands are also able create the most beautiful handicrafts and art work. Needle, thread, colors and skills create wonderful pictures, textiles, design utensils. I have become totally addicted to local painters' work. Visual arts actually deserve a separate posting.

Otherwise. We are still "without" Facebook. Officially. The local newspaper revealed that even the Government uses VPN services and thus disregard their own Facebook ban. Many ministers and high officials have been posting actively during the ban, now in its third week.

It is also winter time, they say. The temperature is below 30 C (86 F) and local people wear jackets, hats and scarves.