Toothpicks as a sign of wealth

I was having a chat with a friend quite some time ago but thought it would be nice to share...

We were having dinner and I asked her about the significance of the toothpick. You see, in Kenya, there are toothpicks on every table in every restaurant - no matter how nice the place may be or how many stars it may be rated. People eat their four or five course meal and then take a toothpick and conduct nothing short of root canal for a few minutes. It still catches me by surprise. Picking food out of your teeth is something that most Americans hold for quality, private bathroom time.

My friend enlightened me... "The toothpick is a status symbol...it means you've eaten meat...so when you see men walking around town with a toothpick in their mouth, they're letting everyone know that they've had meat...that they can afford to eat meat..."

"The toothpick is a status symbol?"

"Yes, of course. Men who can afford to eat meat walk around with toothpicks in their mouths every day and get large pot bellies so you can 'see' their wealth...if they didn't have the toothpick, how would you know that they could afford to eat meat every day?"

There's always something to learn here...that's what makes it all so interesting, challenging, frustrating and great.