Licking
Last week, I was at IIT Madras for lunch with the faculty.
The dessert was carrot halwa with ice cream. I scraped the last bits with my spoon, but a little ice cream was left over.
I was torn. I CAN’T POSSIBLY waste it. But can I lick it? In public?
I don’t have a problem licking at home. I lick my fingers. Plates. Bowls. Ladles. The cream on milk. The leftover milk in the glass. (If my tongue doesn’t reach that far, I wipe it with my finger and lick the finger.)
That’s why I like ice cream. It’s MEANT to be licked. So are (in my opinion) cereals, savories, oats, honey, … It’s a long list.
Licking is convenient. My fingers stay clean while I type. (Spoons are impersonal. I avoid them.)
Licking is efficient. I can have every last bit of food AND feel good about not wasting it.
Licking makes my dishwashing easier. (But it can be hard to tell if a dish needs washing.)
But most of all, that last lick TASTES SO WONDERFUL!
Before marriage, licking was fine. But my wife worried about my lack of civilized behavior and hygiene. So I’ve had a crash course over the last 20 years.
My current protocol is: don’t lick when people can see you.
So, as I went to drop my plate, I looked around.
Now one was looking at me.
I licked a long lick on the plate.
It was HEAVENLY! Made my day.
