Chew meat now, chew meat after meal!
I do both base on the intensity of hunger If am damn hungry then the meat will not wait, if am flexing with my stomach then i'l pity the meat to see end of time

he,he,he

MyJoe:

Not necessarily.

I think the possible reasons are:

1. Habit: Someone who grew up in a "traditional" home back in the days when in the evening everyone dipped their hand into the same bowl may carry it as a habit into his adulthood. You know in that sort of arrangement you finish the food before the meat is then "shared" out to everyone by "baba".

2. Concentration or order: Some people have such a sense of order that they may subconsciously carry it over to anything they do. (Read a short story titled "Broken Routine" by Frederick Forsyth to get the sense of the kind of person I am talking about). So he may like to finish his eba, drain the soup, before proceeding meticulously to his meat.

3.  Value: Some may value their meat so much and believe the best is to be reserved for the last.

4.  Appetite: Some people lose appetite if they pause, for any reason, while eating the main course. This happens to me.

The fourth reason is important if you belch frequently.
4.  Stomach order: If you suffer from any gastrointestinal disorder or find you belch frequently after eating, it may be a good idea to start paying attention to how you eat. I would suggest that if it is convenient, you eat your main meal at one go, then eat your meat, before drinking any water. This is because pausing in between your meal to spend a considerable time battling a piece of "kanda", chewing away at meat, or gulping water may increase your chances of belching.

YUP to number 3. It's usually the last to go on my plate even though I have lived in America for a long time. Habits are difficutl to break.

It's a culture that has been inculcated in us right from childhood.I could remember when I was tender,if I eat the meat first,definitely,I will be scolded for that if my mum sees me.This is the same case as a child eating with a left hand.So,that's African culture and it has found a place to stay in our lives if not a habit now.

Q&A

may d food is not sweet

The reason why people chew meat last is that it is traditionally a kind of home training thing in Nigeria. If you serve little kids their foods with meat on it, they tend to mess around with the food by eating the meat, probably a little more portion of the meal and mess around with the rest. So the parents usually use the rule to control the kids by saying "hey you must only eat the meat until you finish the whole food otherwise i would smack you ok!!!" Its a strong training from childhood so people grow up with it.

You see this attitude started gradually in African Culture of siblings eating together. Since the meet would not be enough to go round each person/one, it was usually reserved until  after eating, when the eldest will use teeth to share it  amongst them.

We inculcated this habit into our subconscious and grew with it, passing it from generation to generation.
You fine out that the habit is still being practiced by the average and poor Nigerians, who have not tested the other side of life.

Bur for  those borne with the so called silver spoon in this modern age, meat is taken as food and is eating simultaneously. I think that is the reason.

Sorry,
If me and you are eating together, you ll be disappointed @ the end when you discover that i have eaten all the meat.
My meat always finish before the food finish

its upbringing because majority Nigerians eat meat last

Leaving the best bit till last, except nah POMOH !!!!

(1) Na poor people they eat meat or fish last for soup. Rich dont do that cos the meat and fish is always there.
(2) It's childish behaviour, i used to do it when i was a child but now if i swallow like 5 balls or 5 spoons i'll cut a bit of the meat
infact i prefer cutting my meat into little pieces, so that as am eating i'll be picking the meat into my mouth with the ball or spoon

@Poster, you should have heard the saying "SAVING THE BEST FOR THE LAST" like most things in life the best moments are when its about to end.

Its old skool culture,these days I eat the meat first then everything else last .

meat?
it givs one satisfaction,
a sense'f wellbeing,
dat u ve had a meal.
try eating witout meat,
or fish. . . .

mummy3:

(1) Na poor people they eat meat or fish last for soup. Rich dont do that cos the meat and fish is always there.
(2) It's childish behaviour, i used to do it when i was a child but now if i swallow like 5 balls or 5 spoons i'll cut a bit of the meat
infact i prefer cutting my meat into little pieces, so that as am eating i'll be picking the meat into my mouth with the ball or spoon

So you don hammer now ?

I think it is all about morals. When we are all growing up our parents will always tell us to finish the food before eating the meat. So the attitude have always been there since growing up.

Well, that's very simple to figure out.  It's similar to how couples start with kissing,and end with  Bleep

Because they want to save the best for last.

rokiatu:

Because they want to save the best for last.

Rokiatu, you are a very naughty girl

When i was a child,i considered it a taboo to eat without seeing meat(s) in my food.Even if it means that i will end up not eating the meat,no problems.(that enables me eat my food well)
But as an adult,i eat my meat along side the food.Immediately the stuff finishes,i'm done with the food.

For me, I think its a cultural thing. As a child, i was taught to eat without meat, infact the only meat we ate was the one given to us by our father during his own meal. He always make us believe that if a child has free access to meat on his food, he is most likely to end up stealing.( But of cos he gave us enough to prevent malnutrition). That is the discipline i grow up with. That is why up till now, if (God forbid) i am served food without meat, i will still be able to eat the food well without complain. Even during my NYSC period, when at times things look difficult, with that discpline i was able to survive the hardship.

Basically, as for the habit of eating meat last during meal, i think the reason is becos meat is always considered more precious than the food, so pple prefare to reserve the best thing for the last.

@topic cos its fun and satisfying. As for me these days I find out dat my meat finishes b4 d food cos i just cant wait to eat the meat. U know now, meat is sweet. But when i was younger i cldnt take meat until i had finished d food (literally). if u eat just little, u were not entitled to meat. Am sure d same happned 2 most pple. so they are kinda used 2 havin d meat as d reward 4 eating especiall solids.(okele)

My mom wont let me eat my meat before finishing the food when i was small. I am used to it already now. its the way we are trained. nothing bad about it thou. the most mouth watering part is when u are moving the meat about in the plate and trying to eat the rice in the sides, yummy

Deep Question

I personally lose interest in the food once the meat is finished. So if I want to finish the
meal, I need to stay away from the meat as much as possible unless the meat is the bulk of
the meal.

It's a sign of respect and humbleness. Children are told to finish food and eat meat last so they won't become greedy or focus only on the meat. And also meat fills the belly more than food and after eating meat, people tend to become full.

mummy3:

(1) Na poor people they eat meat or fish last for soup. Rich dont do that cos the meat and fish is always there.
(2) It's childish behaviour, i used to do it when i was a child but now if i swallow like 5 balls or 5 spoons i'll cut a bit of the meat
infact i prefer cutting my meat into little pieces, so that as am eating i'll be picking the meat into my mouth with the ball or spoon

You must be a tiv, I heard that those guy eat pounded yam with only meat no soup.

one the meat is gone, I lose interest in the food.

in fact I'm not sure I can look at meatless plate of food, not to talk of eating it. (except I'm terribly famished)

ojofu:

You must be a tiv, I heard that those guy eat pounded yam with only meat no soup.

that's not true.  though I'm not Tiv, I'm in Tivland at the moment, and aside the fact that they don't even eat pounded yam all that much, akpu is their staple here, it is always eaten with soup.

It's because some people lose interest in the meat when the food is finished. . .

I don't get why someone would eat his/her meat first before the food. . .

mama-gee:

It's because some people lose interest in the meat when the food is finished. . .

I don't get why someone would eat his/her meat first before the food. . .

Who doesn't eat meat first or with the food, smh dont tell me all you eat is Eba with fried rice meat is everywhere you eat as you go,at least mine is