Egypt question: left-handed etiquette?

[seafun]

Hello again -- another question for you who have been to Egypt, or other Islamic countries.

I'm left-handed, and have read that even using my left hand to eat with in public is taboo. That certainly I shouldn't pass any communal food with my left hand, etc.

Is this something to seriously worry about, or will most Egyptians forgive my "Western infadel" ways? :confused:

Any other lefties out there that have dealt with this?

[pacmom]

Am also left-handed--never had any kind of problem. Just remember, we are always in our right minds. You will love Egypt and the Nile--it is truly magical. Pat

[Trece]

DH and I are both left-handed and will be leaving on our 4th visit to Egypt in a few weeks and have never been made to feel anything other than welcome. I can't even say I've ever felt any eyes on me for being leftie. In addition, our tour guide, an extremely well-educated Egyptian young lady, was also left-handed (I'd post a photo of her teaching us how to write Arabic but there are other group members in the photo & I wouldn't want to post without their permission). We had a meal in an Egyptian home & did not suffer any gazes, and we visited an elementary school where we wrote messages out to the kids & if anyone was going to point or giggle it would be children for sure, and I don't recall anything occuring there either.

 

I suppose we COULD have been discussed after we left their company, but again, with our tour guide being left-handed, it certainly must be fairly well accepted. She's in the process of earning her master's degree.

 

I guess you could try a test where you take your wallet out with your left hand & remove your money with your left hand and see if it's refused. I think not!! :D

 

P.S. The "thumbs up" icon at the top of this post is, you'll notice, a left hand!

[seafun]

Particularly the one about the left-handed Egyptian guide... because I had wondered if maybe they trained kids in school to use their right hands.

I feel much better now, and will quit trying to use the right hand to eat with. (Although, I'd probably lose a LOT of weight... :D Have you tried eating with your "wrong hand?!?!? It doesn't work very well for me...