■ Do you know Finger foods?
  A finger food is a food which we eat using only our hands. The concept of finger food that most people know about is a bite-size food, but people don't know that pizza and hamburgers are also included. Originally, finger food was used during tea time with small talk. That’s why it is included in desserts and easy to see in high ranking desserts in hotels. On the other hand, recently it has found it’s own identity as a food, so the number of times finger foods are being used as a main dish is increasing. Therefore, there is a wide range of using finger foods. One of the prime merits of finger foods is anyone can make it easily with simple and few ingredients. Finger foods are recommended as alternative foods for busy people who have very little time to eat meals.
  We can categorize finger foods into 3 categories : finger foods used for parties, finger foods used as baby food, finger foods used for diet.
 
■ Party Finger foods
  Finger foods like canapes and tartes, which are easily used in parties, are suitable with alcohol. Because it’s used in parties, people have to show concern for decoration and the shape of the food. That is a unique side of it compared with other finger foods. Also, there aren’t any other limits or rules, so we can choose ingredients freely. This is a good merit of party finger foods, and that’s why there are many recipes to make this kind of finger food. It is used in various parties like house parties, dinner parties, buffets etc. Furthermore, it is now also used in club parties, and lately many women who go to the Gangnam club or other clubs like it. Most dessert cafes sell it as a food which can be eaten with beverages, because it includes cookies and mini cakes.
  Park Yin-gyeong(the operator of a power blog about finger foods in Naver as ‛Byeon Juk-nyeo’, which is her nickname and the author of ‘Byeon Juk-nyeo’s Funny Food Factory’) said, “Finger foods used in parties are mostly served with wines. It stimulates the taste and sight at the same time, and it gives us a tingling feeling when we eat it.” She also said, “My foods which are mostly composed of party finger foods are concerned with 2 things. One is color, which makes the food look delicious. The other one is the collaboration of ingredients, which can impact people.” She added, “Finger foods are not difficult foods. These foods are made of leftover ingredients, decorated and cut into a bite-size.”
 
■ Baby Finger foods
  In the field of baby food, the notion of finger food is adopted at the stage when babies have to adapt to solid foods. Baby food, by its nature, considering the characteristics of babies having immature digestive systems, requires not only soft texture but also nutrition. Nonetheless, it has to keep a suitable size to help babies practice chewing. Kim Jung-mi(the author of ‘There is Something the Baby Eat Well’ and the operator of the web cafe ‘Mathers’) said, “Entering the post-baby food stage, the mother has to remove the fact that baby food equals porridge. Babies get sick about once a year. Moreover, because babies have a tickling sensation in their teeth and gums, it is a common situation for babies to avoid baby food. What can solve that situation is finger foods instead of fruits or snacks.” When making the baby finger food, which considerations do you have? You have to select ingredients depending on the baby’s age. The stage of eating baby food is divided into four stages. The period using finger foods for babies is from 9 months, the third stage. From this stage, mothers have to entice babies to pick up food actively, for the development of the brain. Therefore, through this action, it can help develop babies’ fine motor skills.
  Kim Jung-mi said, “The main point of making finger food is to make babies feel a sense of achievement by giving them the chance to pick up and eat by themselves. One important thing is the mother’s imagination. If one has imagination, one can make a variety of food for their adorable baby.” 
 
■ Diet Finger foods
  Nowadays, diet finger food is under the spotlight as specialized diet finger food corporations are increasingly creating in Korea. This is because of the trend that as modern people are growing more and more interested in healthy eating, the number of people who search for the foods with delicious tastes and all-round nutrition is increasing. For these reasons, finger foods, which are freely available anywhere, are becoming an answer for dieters who consider both taste and nutrition. Byeon Juk-nyeo, who is managing a power blog related to finger foods, said “I think the popularity of finger foods is due to the fact that the ingredients of finger foods are easily obtained and people can largely save time and expense. It can also be used as a meal in itself,” she added, “When making diet finger foods, it is important to choose interesting ingredients.” People usually choose vegetables and chicken breasts as ingredients.
  Han Song-e(Dept. of English Language and Literature), who brings her lunch every day, said, “I spend every lunch time in school. Because the foods in school are so expensive and spicy or strong-tasting, I usually pack my finger food lunch. Usually, I enjoy Canape with fruits and soft tofu. I think the advantages of finger foods are they can be eaten anywhere easily.” Song Mi-sun(an official of the website ‛Goslim’, which provides diet schedules) said, “When you take a finger food as a meal in itself, it is important for you to make it with essential nutrients. If you want good results, eat protein foods first, such as tofu or eggs for every meal. Also, adding your favorite ingredients, you can steadily keep your diet.”
 
■ Finally actually, finger foods can be categorized into more than 3 categories. The range of finger foods are expanding, and it’s not just for desserts like it was before. Having merits like simplicity of choosing ingredients and practicality, finger foods can be made infinitely depending on people’s tastes. Why don’t we make our own finger food?
 

By Lee Su-ji
sj34@cbnu.ac.kr

By Lee Da-yeon
dy34@cbnu.ac.kr