Carrying on a conversation at the table in a restuarant is pretty rude. I occassionally hear them ring during church service, even worse.
Sue
Sue
Gentleman's Essentials: Table Manners
- Thread starter burningdarkness
- Start date
I've always taken issue with leaving the napkin on the chair when excusing myself from the table. The notion of having to later use it to wipe food from mouth is just a bit hard to stomach.
Never thought about that one before....that's pretty cruddy. Now I'm going to think of your post anytime this happens.
Thanks for ruining my dinner!
Sue
I don't think anybody has mentioned it, and my apologies if it has been covered. . . It is traditional to pass port to the port (left).
I thought it's considered improper to pour alcohol for oneself, anyhow. Therefore, no bottle passing.
I only eat peas of the dark variety (field, crowder, purple hull, etc.) and they are eaten with a spoon. Green peas should be eradicated from the planet.
Pizza should only be cut in squares unless it is of the deep dish variety. It should never be folded.
I believe in table manners, but anyone who punches me in the face while I'm trying to eat is going to get his neck snapped.
Hats come off in the chow hall, indoors or out. The only exception is in a combat zone.
Chewing with the mouth open or smacking food deserves both a face punch and a neck snapping. One of my biggest pet peeves.
Pizza should only be cut in squares unless it is of the deep dish variety. It should never be folded.
I believe in table manners, but anyone who punches me in the face while I'm trying to eat is going to get his neck snapped.
Hats come off in the chow hall, indoors or out. The only exception is in a combat zone.
Chewing with the mouth open or smacking food deserves both a face punch and a neck snapping. One of my biggest pet peeves.
I wish there were more of you guys around! A trip to almost any local eatery is enough to make me wonder if manners have become obsolete. Even semi-"nice" places like Longhorn, Red Lobster, or Outback are filled with the same breed of clod: sitting at the table with a feed-store hat on their noggin, blabbing on the phone, as they lay upon the table shoveling in whatever is in front of them.....they're everywhere!
Even worse: when that clod is you and you don't realize that what you're doing is terribly rude.
Even worse than that: when, after being explained WHY your actions are rude, you look at everyone like they're crazy and tell them that "this ain't England!"
Here's another thing no one has brought up - how to use a knife when cutting food.
A knife should be held with the blade pointed upward in your hand. You should be cutting meat like you're making an incision.
A lot of times I see people who use a knife with the blade pointed downward in their hand. It's like they're stabbing the meat and trying to rip and pull it apart, rather than cutting it.
A knife should be held with the blade pointed upward in your hand. You should be cutting meat like you're making an incision.
A lot of times I see people who use a knife with the blade pointed downward in their hand. It's like they're stabbing the meat and trying to rip and pull it apart, rather than cutting it.
Always say "may I" and "please".
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzVHR21iExI[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzVHR21iExI[/YOUTUBE]
A small piece of etiquette i feel has been left out.
I have been taught that during a business, formal, when escorting a lady, or anything that isn't hitting a dive with buddies, if you do happen to finish your meal before the rest of your party a polite way to indicate this is to finish using your napkin to clean any crumbs or sauce from your mouth and then place it on your plate over the used utensils.
I have been using this for a few years now it seems to work as an unobtrusive manner, has yet to interrupt the flow of conversation or cause anyone to feel they must rush while letting them know you are done. Ordering coffee or tea after this works too as you are still consuming something, while refraining from impolitely overeating.
If anyone has any feelings on this that it may be impolite or unnecessary ill would appreciate the input.
I have been taught that during a business, formal, when escorting a lady, or anything that isn't hitting a dive with buddies, if you do happen to finish your meal before the rest of your party a polite way to indicate this is to finish using your napkin to clean any crumbs or sauce from your mouth and then place it on your plate over the used utensils.
I have been using this for a few years now it seems to work as an unobtrusive manner, has yet to interrupt the flow of conversation or cause anyone to feel they must rush while letting them know you are done. Ordering coffee or tea after this works too as you are still consuming something, while refraining from impolitely overeating.
If anyone has any feelings on this that it may be impolite or unnecessary ill would appreciate the input.
For port the head of the table pours for the person on his right, for himself, and then passes left.
The upside-down-fork-pea-eating solution:
Cook some peas at home. Serve yourself some. Eat them with your fork, upside down, as you are supposed to. Notice how you drop a few; observe how slowly you get them to your mouth; reflect on how few you lift to your mouth on each try.
Now, put the fork down, and pick up your knife and spoon. Put some peas into your spoon ... but no more than you could load onto the backside of your fork. Lift the peas to your mouth, but no faster than with the upside down fork. (Haven't spilled any, have you? Haven't looked like a human vacuum cleaner set on "peas", have you?) Eat them that way forever more. If some Eurofool wants to punch you in the face for it, well, y'all got a knife in the other hand, right?
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MixYRIUzVXs[/YOUTUBE]
Cook some peas at home. Serve yourself some. Eat them with your fork, upside down, as you are supposed to. Notice how you drop a few; observe how slowly you get them to your mouth; reflect on how few you lift to your mouth on each try.
Now, put the fork down, and pick up your knife and spoon. Put some peas into your spoon ... but no more than you could load onto the backside of your fork. Lift the peas to your mouth, but no faster than with the upside down fork. (Haven't spilled any, have you? Haven't looked like a human vacuum cleaner set on "peas", have you?) Eat them that way forever more. If some Eurofool wants to punch you in the face for it, well, y'all got a knife in the other hand, right?
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MixYRIUzVXs[/YOUTUBE]
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