A silly question about Americans....

[IRescue452]

There's a big difference between formal and informal eating in my school. When I want to eat like a slob and forgo proper table manners I take my tray to a different room to eat (we can eat in any room in the campus center but there is a main hall for eating). This is especially true for chicken which I don't like to cut with a knife but rather to eat with my fingers. I'll be proper in front of guests and strangers but I eat like a pig when nobody is around.
This brings up another thought, when you have a can of soda at supper do you pour it into a glass or drink out of the can? I drink out of the can, who wants to dirty another dish when you are in a family of six and have no dishwasher. My grandparents drink out of a glass. At school we pour it in glasses. I never add ice either, especially with fountain soda, its already cold and ice just waters it down.

[lbaker]

I use a glass, with ice, drinking out of a can makes me burp I like to drink milk with food unless it's wine with dinner.

[janelle]

It's funny what each of us think as the right way and the wrong way.

My hubby's parents always insisted their children set the table "the right way"when growing up. Knife and spoon on right side of plate and the fork on the left. That is done in nicer restaurants as well. I guess this is for European eating but they didn't eat like Europeans. We would set the table with all the utinsils on the right side of the plate. Then I see my hubby at times cup the fork in the palm of his hand instead of laying the fork between the forefinger and thumb, like a child eating. That also looks like shoveling to me. I never say anything to him about it, it's too little to worry about but he will comment on how I set a table. Just silly. LOL

Also when I see a movie with people eating the Euopean way I notice they rarely look at their companion. The are too busy putting the food on the fork and loading it up just so. I actually miss out on what they are saying, I get too engrossed with their food handling. And how do people eat peas? Are they mashed onto the fork? EWWW, I don't want to see any food mashed before going into the mouth except mashed potatoes. LOL Anyway, with the American way with putting the knife down you can look up at your companion and talk to them better while switching.

Also, with the fork facing up you can scoop the peas and other hard to eat food onto the fork and into the mouth in one movement. I wouldn't know how to eat with a fork down, no way to scoop the food up that way. LOL No need to use bread to sop up the juice on the plate which is another pet peeve of mine.

Do Europeans not eat mashed potatoes? I could never eat mashed potatoes with the fork down. LOL

I guess we all just need to eat and not watch our neighbor. As far as movies, leave out the eating scene. LOL

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I read through a lot of the posts (but I don't have time to read them all right now) and found them interesting.

Depending on the food, I only use a fork. I don't use a knife unless my food needs to be cut. I just stab the food with the fork.
I eat with my left hand (I am left handed in general). If something does need to be cut I switch my fork to my right hand and use the knife to cut with my left. I then set the knife down on my plate and switch my fork back to my left hand to eat the piece I cut. I generally don't cut everything at once.

[Cataholic]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Form matters to me..... I lived alone for 20 years and even if my dinner was burger and fries from MacDonald...I set a place...plate, napkin, fork and knife...and possible a spoon. I still do that regardless. And meat is cut one bite at a time. Parents cut up bite-sized meat for the children.

When my step-sons lived with us they made great fun of me for insisting on a set table. We called it ..."being civilized!"

Thank you, Sara! I was a bit taken aback at some of the replies here.

I dislike eating with some folks because of their (lack of) table manners.

While it is more efficient to eat as the rest of the world does-in regards to knives and forks- it seems odd to do it here.

[Cataholic]

Originally posted by lbaker
As a small child we had what was known as a "pusher" for peas and such. It was a sterling (always sterling silver dahling) utensil that looked like a wee hoe, small enough to fit small fingers.

How funny! My friend gave Jonah a pusher! I had to ask him what it was. It makes perfect sense, and I can't wait until Jonah can use it. As my friend explained, it is only until Jonah learns proper use of knives and forks, of course!

[Edwina's Secretary]

That loud noise you just heard? No, not another mudslide or earthquake....just my reaction to a CAN of soda on the dining table....

[ramanth]

I never had a pusher.

I finally read thru the thread and I must say I've done it all.

I've used my knife or a piece of bread to push food on my fork (my thumb too when I'm alone Yay for double joints ).

I've switched from left hand to right when cutting food.

I've ate with my left hand if I don't want to fuss with switching.

I've also ate with tongs down (which drives my mom crazy - for some reason she hates that ).

Most of the time, I only eat with a fork, but if a situation arises, I'll adapt.

[Killearn Kitties]

Originally posted by Cataholic
My friend gave Jonah a pusher!

You couldn't post a picture of it sometime could you? I'd love to see it!

[Logan]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
That loud noise you just heard? No, not another mudslide or earthquake....just my reaction to a CAN of soda on the dining table....

LOL!!!!!!! I'm the same way! It drives me crazy when we get ready to sit down to a meal that I have worked hard to prepare and my husband has a plastic drink cup, the kids have cans or bottles and they could care less! I'm training them, slowly but surely. Helen already knows that I want matching glasses on the table and no plastic cups and no cans! Ha Ha!!! I'm the same way about silverware and plates, too. They need to all be the same kind!

To take it a step further, I also don't like to put ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayonaise, etc on the table in their containers. This is where my mother has rubbed off on me a lot. Even if we're eating burgers off of paper plates, I still want to put that stuff in a bowl first. I will admit that this is one thing that I do not push real hard on, though. I'm way outnumbered! Heck, if I can get them to set the table properly and learn to use a butter knife, I'll be happy!

[Barbara]

Ok, ok- no can on the table, no pot on the table and no mustard jar on the table:

but now comes the REAL tough question:

How about a CAT on the table?

Or two?

*is sure neither her friend Sara nor Logan will ever again invite her for dinner*

[Edwina's Secretary]

As long as the cats are in neither cans nor plastic bottles, they are welcome on the table.....assuming they know how to correctly use a butter knife of course.....

[Anita Cholaine]

I don't know how can you eat everything without a knife! I eat burguers, pizza and that kind of things with the hands, of course.

My house is a mess when we have dinner... food is ready and nobody is on the table, we have lots of different bottles and that kind of things, but the worst is that, in the last weeks Anita learnt to climb up the chairs.......so perhaps I go to the kitchen to get something, and when I come back, she's on my chair, eating from my plate! I don't have problems with this, but my dad hates seeing Anita around the food.....for me it's ok

[Edwina's Secretary]

Here is a sterling silver Tiffany's baby pusher ($250.... )

pusher

And you can get it monogrammed!

[janelle]

My hubby tells the kitties to get off the table. He doesn't sit on their food bowl and they shouldn't sit in his. LOL

Do they listen? NOOOOOOO. They do jump down when he comes home but I've given up. They jump up on the table all the time when I'm here and sit by me. I tell them to get down and they just look at me. I have to get up and actually push them. So I have given up. Only when they lay down and start to make it their bed do I get after them anymore.