Don't know about the biting (second year molars can be painful for a long long time though), I do know that if my DS can get away with not biting then he does, he would rather stuff an entire massive piece of something in his mouth than bite it although he doesn't have total biting refusal and will eat sandwiches in the regular way.
Do you give him a knife and fork? I used to cook veg etc chunky for DS so he could pick up as finger food and self feed, then we moved on to me helping him stab and chop with his own cutlery (hand over hand). Several benefits to this, new tools/skill acquisition can motivate a toddler to have a go (like a new toy or any new development, they really want to learn); the pieces are then bite sized so biting isn't such a problem, hands stay cleaner so they can be happier. We have the stainless steel kids knife a fork which looks just like regular adult cutlery but shorter for easier handling.
DS also hates his hands being dirty but will still get carried away when eating or painting quite happily then suddenly demand to be washed (about 20 times per meal!). I keep a wash cloth at the table to accommodate his needs although it can be a little tiring.
The need for sauce. Here we have a need for dip. If there is no sauce or gravy I generally have to provide something to dip into (I admit I get lazy and just squirt a teaspoon of ketchup or mayo on his plate), I can use mint sauce, apple or cranberry sauce, cream cheese, salad dressing, even just use lemon juice, anything really. If I don't give him anything to dip into he'll ask for some or sometimes will pour some milk or water from his cup onto the plate to dip into! I don't let it dictate what I cook, I just let him have his dips whether they 'go' with the food or not.
