Mixing by Hand

In Burma both salads and noodle dishes are mixed and blended by hand, either by the cook just before serving, or by the person eating before starting to eat. The gestures used, and the care taken to mix everything meticulously and thoroughly, are distinctive, not a technique I have seen anywhere else. So for example the ingredients for a salad will be assembled in a shallow bowl and then blended by hand, the fingers working to massage the ingredients together with care, so that flavorings and textures are evenly distributed.