Why lemon is put into finger bowl?

Lemon helps get rid of odor and is a natural cleaning agent. It is also decorative in a finger bowl. I personally wish every restaurant provided a finger bowl or warm towels. Just MO.

@bkcunningham Sounds about right, lemon has oil/grease cutting properties = ‘natural cleaning agent’ – and they smell nice !
It would be so civilized if every restaurant provided those nice little steamy towels, I’d clean my hands and maybe even give my face a once over to be refreshed for my meal.

It cuts grease and leaves you smelling lovely. A local organic Japanese restaurant still delivers warm towels. What a treat.

It has a nice scent and clears the sinuses of other aromas as well. Prepares you for the sweet dessert that comes next. Just don’t drink it. That’s gauche.

MIlo here; Now you tell me.

It’s a natural astringent, so it gets rid of the oil on your hands from the food you eat, like crab or fried chicken. It also smells good, and the high acidity kills germs. Lemon’s pretty cheap too, so they can use it for many purposes.

There is a famous scene in a 1980 movie; ATLANTIC CITY w. Burt Lancaster, in which a young Susan Sarandon (who deals w. raw fish all day) ,washes her entire upper body w. lemon juice when she returns home. (A wonderful movie, BTW).

@gail

Oh that is such a great scene and Sarandon was so fantastic in both the scene and the movie.

The langorous and sensual way she went through her little ritual, enjoying it so thoroughly, spoke volumes without a single word being uttered.

I really loved that movie and remember those grand huge and stately old fashioned hotels. They were behemoths but there was such a grandeur to them. And they’re totally gone now.

We had been to several of them in the past since that was the chosen site for our association’s annual teachers conferences. Good times and great memories.

Such a shame they were all torn down and their magnificent presence replaced with gaudy neon covered casinos. And the rest of the surrounding area is basically a wasteland through which you dare not walk unless prepared to take your life in your hands. No more casual midnight strolls enjoying the ambience.

The acid in the lemon is a natural cleansing agent. You can use lemon on chopping blocks or wherever!

Lemon breaks down grease so it’s definiely moe effective than water alone. It also smells nice.

Thank you all!

Wish you all a very happy and a prosperous new year!