Should food outlets introduce ‘bone rooms?’

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
HOW do you prove that a meal has been desecrated thoroughly? Is it when we destroy any evidence that food was once on the plate or is it exhausting the river of soup that we sometimes get?

When it comes to meat, it is when the most vital part, the marrow carrier, has been broken down to its lowest terms.
As in popular South African comedian and The Daily Show host, Trevor Noah’s words in his autobiography, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood chicken bones are to be “obliterated”.

“My mum was an expert at cracking open a chicken bone and getting out every last bit of marrow inside. We didn’t eat chickens. We obliterated them. Our family was an archaeologist’s nightmare. We left no bones behind. When we were done with the chicken, there was nothing left but the head.”

This has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt to be true in your typical African home.

This past Tuesday, I visited one of these fast-food outlets and as most of us do when we get there, I ordered chicken and chips and before long, I began my swallows.

In the middle of my meal, I noticed a couple sitting a stone’s throw away from my table standing up and preparing to leave the establishment.

That is a standard procedure people do, but what struck me the most was the number of unchewed bones they left behind. Those “meatatarians” must have ordered a lot of chicken pieces to leave such a heap of bones behind.

The two were not the only ones who left unchewed bones on their tables, everyone did (myself included).

Seeing this trend led me to wonder, are the bones too strong to chew, or are we just too ashamed to dig right in and do what we always do at home?

Lately, United Kingdom-based Sly Gee Trinity Qaterere opened the conversation on table manners and the chewing of bones in public spaces. His was a suggestion of what must be done by fast-food outlets to ensure people enjoy their meals and chew bones.

His post on Facebook read, “How I wish restaurants and hotels could introduce bone rooms where we can sit in private and chew the bones. It hurts to leave them behind.”

Comments on the Facebook post showed that most of the people shared the same sentiments with Sly Gee Trinity Qaterere on the matter and suggested that people should just be their usual selves and chew the bones.

One Charlotte Mathu Sithulisiwe Matyatya said she “deals” with bones without problems.

“I deal with them (bones) as long as I pay money. I just gather the remains and keep them in the serviette that the restaurants offer,” she said.

Tendai Muramba laughed and said one should just dig in and ignore whoever will be watching.

“So what if someone sees? Just eat them and don’t hold back. You won’t see those people again anyway.”
Chenai Dube asked a funny question when weighing in on the subject.

“Okay, is there anyone prohibited from destroying their bones? I guess you have to look at the extremes and weigh what’s worse pain or shame,” said Dube.

Most of the people interviewed by Saturday Leisure said they do not leave unchewed bones at restaurants on purpose, but they are “compelled to” since it’s not easy doing so in the presence of a lot of people, especially strangers.

Of course, not all of us are comfortable, even eating in public, so what more chewing bones. To some, that is nightmarish.

One Mlungisi Vundla said the establishment of bone rooms will not make much of a change.

“Building bone rooms for people who want to chew bones does not help one bit. This is because this service will be availed to the same people who were eating in the restaurant and were embarrassed by chewing their bones with the same people, they are bound to meet in the bone room,” said Vundla.

Christopher Mlambo shared Vundla’s sentiments saying that people should not care about people in their midst, especially strangers since “there is a chance they will not meet again.”

“People should just enjoy their meals and care less about whoever is watching. Remember, three-quarters or more of the people in the restaurants are total strangers so one should not be ashamed of chewing the bones. After all, it will be your hard-earned cash so why care,” is how Mlambo explained his stance.

This subject opened another issue, that of table manners.

What is social etiquette when one is eating?

Pam Kay said she cannot disgrace her ancestors when eating chicken.

“Even in the poshest of restaurants, I will not fork and knife my chicken. I will not disgrace my ancestors.”

So, should fast-food joints establish bone rooms or people should not care who is watching and do their thing in peace?

Would you “destroy” your chicken bones in public or would you better buy takeaways and chew them at home?
Share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms. — @eMKlass_49