---
title: Licking
date: "2023-02-20T17:30:14Z"
lastmod: "2023-02-20T17:30:15Z"
categories:
  - funny
  - how-i-do-things
wp_id: 3421
description: "This comic confession defends licking plates, bowls, and leftovers as efficient, joyful, and nearly irresistible, while acknowledging the social protocols that make it taboo in public."
keywords: ["food habits", "licking", "humor", "etiquette", "ice cream", "waste"]
---

![Licking](/blog/assets/DALL·E-2023-02-20-22.57.55-Photo-of-a-young-boy-in-an-ice-cream-shop-licking-an-empty-plate.webp)

Last week, I was at IIT Madras for lunch with the faculty.

The dessert was [carrot halwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gajar_ka_halwa) with ice cream. I scraped the last bits with my spoon, but a little ice cream was left over.

I was torn. I **CAN'T POSSIBLY** waste it. But can I lick it? In public?

---

I don't have a problem licking at home. I lick my fingers. Plates. Bowls. Ladles. The cream on milk. The leftover milk in the glass. (If my tongue doesn't reach that far, I wipe it with my finger and lick the finger.)

That's why I like ice cream. It's **MEANT** to be licked. So are (in my opinion) cereals, savories, oats, honey, … It's a long list.

Licking is convenient. My fingers stay clean while I type. (Spoons are impersonal. I avoid them.)

Licking is efficient. I can have every last bit of food AND feel good about not wasting it.

Licking makes my dishwashing easier. (But it can be hard to tell if a dish needs washing.)

But most of all, that last lick **TASTES SO WONDERFUL**!

---

Before marriage, licking was fine. But my wife worried about my lack of civilized behavior and hygiene. So I've had a crash course over the last 20 years.

My current protocol is: don't lick when people can see you.

---

So, as I went to drop my plate, I looked around.

Now one was looking at me.

I licked a long lick on the plate.

It was **HEAVENLY**! Made my day.

---

## Comments

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- **Marimuthu** _20 Feb 2023 11:44 pm_:
  I do this often sir 😄. As you said that “last lick TASTES SO WONDERFUL!”. What you written is 💯% true.
- **[Scraping - S Anand](/blog/scraping/)** _29 Oct 2023 10:00 am_ _(pingback)_:
  […] chocolate. It has the added bonus that you can lick it at the end, […]
- **Somnath** _21 Feb 2023 12:16 pm_:
  I can imagine the smile on your face after the last lick :-)
- **[Karthik](http://noenthuda.com/)** _21 Feb 2023 9:51 am_:
  This is very strong. Reminds me of the proverb of the cat drinking milk while keeping its eyes closed - in the "knowledge" that nobody can see it steal the milk.
  So maybe you can just simply close your eyes and lick!
- **[Nibbling - S Anand](/blog/nibbling/)** _27 Feb 2025 4:35 am_ _(pingback)_:
  […] is the third post in my “Nasty habits” series following Licking and […]

<!-- wp-comments-end -->