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Sunday, July 3, 2011

At the Table

I'm not a snob….I just like seeing good manners at the table….or rather I hate seeing bad manners at the table - especially when they're GROSS - which is exactly the reason we have manners - so please try to be considerate and don't do things that might turn someone's stomach while you're sitting near them.

We're away while our boys are at camp. Sitting in a gorgeous outdoor setting having a glass of wine with my husband, I couldn't stop watching the people at the next table…..

1) When you walk into a restaurant, you should look and try to get a feeling for the atmosphere in the restaurant - if it's rowdy and noisy already, go ahead and have fun! But if you sense that the place is quiet and people are enjoying the quiet and/or the view, remind yourself of that when you begin your  table talk. I had such a hard time listening to my husband because the people next to us were conversing very loudly - much louder than they needed to.

2) Please remember not to push your food onto your fork with your fingers.  Don't think, "oh just this once, no one will see" - people WILL see! I did! This same loud guy dug his two fingers into his salad bowl and pushed his salad onto his fork several times. Is this one of those ridiculous manners people shouldn't get upset about? I don't think so because it grossed me out!  (The thesaurus suggests "repulse" and "repel" for "gross out" but, hey, I'm writing the way I speak.)

3) I looked at the woman next to the guy and she had a huge piece of buttered bread and was eating the whole thing - it was an enormous piece of fresh bread.  I just quietly said to Dan, "I think these people need the placemats and I know what I'm blogging about."

I guess the main gist of all of this is that even if you don't think other people around you will see or hear or be bothered by your actions, you should remember that they very well could be - so be considerate.

So, a quick quiz:
Q: Should you be loud and boisterous at a "quiet outdoorsy beautiful view" restaurant?  A: No, consider the atmosphere when you walk in.
Q: Should you use your fingers to push food onto your fork? A: No, NEVER use your fingers.  You have a knife or a piece of bread to help you!
Q: Should you butter and eat a whole piece of bread at once?  A: No, it looks a lot nicer and it IS a lot easier to break off a bite-sized piece of bread, butter just that bite, and pop that into your mouth.

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