'I heard Indian people eat with their hands still': Oprah faces backlash in India over dinner remarks



Oprah Winfrey may be known for her favourite things, but eating with her hands is clearly not one of them.

The queen of talk, 58, has ignited uproar in India after she is heard asking whether Indian people still 'eat with their hands.'

The controversial comment came as she sat down to dine with the Somani family in Mumbai.

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Dinner: Oprah Winfrey sat down for her first traditional Indian meal with a family in Mumbai back in January for her Oprah's Next Chapter programme

Controversy: The 58-year-old has ignited uproar in India after she is heard asking the family whether Indian people still 'eat with their hands'

'First traditional Indian meal,' she says in a singsong voice. 'This is so exciting!'

But as members of the family explain the cuisine, Oprah asks: 'I heard some Indian people eat with their hands still.'

According to Indian tradition, meals are usually not consumed with forks, knives and spoons.

It is also customary to eat only with your right hand, and use the left for moving food onto one's plate from a serving dish.



Oprah just cannot seem to get her head around it a s the Somanis inform her that Indians usually consume their food with just one hand, as she dips some bread with her left hand.



The hand that feeds: The Somanis inform her that Indians usually consume their food with just one hand, an idea that Oprah just can't seem to get her head around

She then gives up the one-handed dining altogether, saying: 'So I'm going to use both hands, or I’ll be here all night.'

The comments drew intense criticism from Indian citizens, who blasted Oprah for her insensitivity to Indian customs and traditions.

FirstPost.com columnist Rajyasree Sen called the OWN telecast 'Myopic, unaware, ignorant and gauche' and 'Middle America at its best worst.'



Aseem Chhabra, a freelance journalist and columnist for the Mumbai Mirror, told ABC News : 'It's all the stereotypes and all the clichés the West has, between the elephants and the palaces and the snake charmers and cows.'

Iconic: Oprah posed in front of the historic Taj Mahal during her visit to the Indian city of Agra

He added: 'That exists in India, but it's this imagery of India that some people seem to have, and I think I expected a lot more from somebody like Oprah Winfrey.'

In an open letter to Oprah that appeared on IBNLive.in.com , Rituparna Chatterjee wrote: 'As a responsible public figure about to air a show that will be beamed across the world, you should have done your homework.'

The letter goes on: ‘Using our hands to eat is a well-established tradition and a fact none of us are ashamed of. Our economic distinction has nothing to do with it.

'A millionaire here eats the same way a pauper does. You have been to Asian nations. You should know that.'

Seeing the sights: Oprah jetted to India in January and filmed the excursion for her Oprah's Next Chapter programme on her OWN network

Even Bollywood slammed Oprah, as actors and actresses took to Twitter to vent about the show.

Actress and TV host Maria Goretti tweeted: 'It is so sad... that someone as inspirational as [Oprah] just did not get the pulse of India.'

In a statement to MailOnline, a spokeswoman for Harpo Studios, which produces the show, said: 'The intention of the program was to explore the beautiful culture and spirit of the country.



'We enjoyed the time we spent there and were touched by the people who so generously shared their stories for the show.'



The footage was filmed in January when the chat show queen visited to film Oprah’s Next Chapter, a programme on her OWN network.

It wasn’t the only trouble that Oprah made for herself while visiting India.

Walkabout: Oprah takes a stroll through a Mumbai street with Australian author Gregory Roberts



Slumdog billionaire: The media mogul spent time in the slums of Mumbai

Indian police briefly detained three of Oprah’s bodyguards after they scuffled with local TV journalists.

The American talk-show host had been traveling with both American and Indian bodyguards while visiting the Hindu pilgrimage town of Mathura, about 90 miles south of Delhi.

Press Trust of India said police detained three of the guards after local journalists said their video equipment had been damaged in a brawl.

No one was reported hurt, and there was no indication that the American bodyguards were involved.

The three guards were released after apologising in a letter to the journalists, PTI said.

It is Winfrey's first trip to India, where she also visited the Taj Mahal and the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Thumbs up: Oprah gestures to the cameras during her visit to Agra

Causing a commotion: Oprah is surrounded by Indian policemen and onlookers during her trip to the Taj Mahal

Watch video here

Oprah's First Traditional Indian Meal

While visiting the Somanis, an upper-middle-class family living in Mumbai, India, Oprah sits down for her first traditional Indian meal. Watch as she discovers what it's like to live with four generations under one roof. Plus, Oprah learns the proper way to eat from the thali—which means "platter" in Hindi—using her hands.