Lately, I've been concerned about my manners. I mean, now that I'm in charge of teaching manners to chiquita, then I have to know my shit.
In particular, I think my table manners suck. It all begins with fork and knife usage. I have forever been perplexed by the right hand/left hand knife/fork switch. I mean, I was taught to eat this way growing up but it never felt comfortable to me. I eat with the fork in the right hand and knife in the left hand for the entire meal. I remember my dad saying to me "what if you're invited to eat with the Queen one day?". And I thought "phhhhhhhhhht" (hand fart) to that. And according to Wikipedia, the British don't do the switch (yet they eat with the fork in the left and knife in the right for their entire meal!).
Is it me or does the switch seem like a waste of time? I like to eat my meal with no interruptions and a utensil switch just seems completely unneccessary. Yet, I've never encountered anyone that agrees with me. And I try. I really do. When we go to fancy restaurants, I awkwardly do the switch...always feeling like a fake.
Next to the annoying utensil switch is the elbow rule. No elbows on the table...yet forearms are ok. How the heck can you have a relaxed conversation with someone at the dinner table with your forearms on the table? Maybe it's my long and heavy monkey arms that make this uncomfortable but seriously, forearms?
I guess these are minor etiquette infractions and probably go unnoticed but I'm just wondering if there is anyone out there who pay attention to these types of things?
2 comments:
I kinda pay attention to strange etiquette items...always pass the salt & pepper together, they should never be separated. At a banquette, I'll always put my teaspoon in my coffee cup to see if the server knows it means I'd prefer tea (even if I actually want coffee). But the only thing that bugs me at the dinner table is when people use their utensils as a prop when talking. Stop waving your damn fork at me buddy!
Interesting, I've never heard of the salt and pepper rule...but thank goodness, I know not to talk with my fork and knife!
And I know to pour everyone else's tea/coffee before my own. I think I only follow etiquette that makes sense to me or is courteous in some respect. And ofcourse, I'll follow etiquette when eating out. But at home and with family/friends, I'm a little lax.
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