A silly question about Americans....

**Killearn Kitties** · 06-08-2005, 12:51 PM

Oh that pusher is so sweet! Thanks very much for that! Jonah and Laurie are welcome at my table anytime with their silver pushers.

**janelle** · 06-08-2005, 12:52 PM

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Here is a sterling silver Tiffany's baby pusher ($250.... )

pusher

And you can get it monogrammed!

I can't see a baby using that. LOL I can't see anyone using it really. A piece of bread is ok to be a pusher in my book. And
$250?

**sasvermont** · 06-08-2005, 12:57 PM

Talk about a slow news day!

**k9krazee** · 06-08-2005, 01:01 PM

One of my dad's biggest pet peeves are cats on the table. They can't get on the counters either, he has always hated that. But his dog (Mini) always has her own chair at the table, and if everyone is at home and no chairs are open for Mini he will go and get her one.

As for the pusher...I've never seen one and I can't imagine using something like that!!!

**Logan** · 06-08-2005, 01:02 PM

Ha Ha! You are right, SAS!

Barbara as much grief as my husband gives me for trying to be too proper, he would just DIE if the cat got on the counter or the table! Me, not really! If you handle the amount of dog hair I deal with you, you can handle just about anything.

**Barbara** · 06-08-2005, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by 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

Whenever I tell this Filou he says "You are very welcome to share my bowl with me."

**IRescue452** · 06-08-2005, 01:09 PM

That is the first pusher I have ever seen, definately not an American thing around here.
No cats or other critters on the table please, except maybe a cockroach occasionally. I don't like people or animals leaning any body part over food and I hate to imagine where the cat's feet have been.
You guys would hate my house. We all have our favorite dishes and nothing matches. The kids have their character plates and cups (plastic so they don't break anything), I have my vintage set, my mom has her Correlle (sp?) and my stepdad usually takes what's left over in the pan after we all dish up and eats in the family room out of the pan.
Ketchup and other condiments are set out buffet style on the counter if needed and put on the food before it is brought to the table. I also have little Japanese dipping cups for sauce.
No napkin rings or place mats or anything fancy and annoying like that.
When I graduate college and get my own place its a different story. I plan to have formal settings and teach my kids proper. But until then I'll be lazy at my parents house.

**Edwina's Secretary** · 06-08-2005, 01:49 PM

A properly set table.....

or....

**Cinder & Smoke** · 06-08-2005, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary

Dear Logan....thank you.
Butter (not sweet Butterboy) is put on the plate with the butter knife....
each bite of bread is then buttered from the butter put on
your bread plate ...with your OWN knife...
not the common butter knife....
(Now I understand how Miss Manners gets so exhausted!)

Oh, the Trials & Tribulations of being raised by a Mom who MUST have
co-authored that "eddi-kut book" with ole What's-her-name!

Bread & Butter Chapter:

There were always TWO styles of "Butter Knife" on the table -
1) ONE common Butter SERVING Knife - a wierd-lookin cross between
a knife and a fork - like a bent knife - designed for ONLY a right-hander!
The Butter SERVING knife rode around the table on the common Butter
Plate - the "supply" dish that carried a 1/4 pound stick of butter.
"Please pass the butter" got you the Supply Plate
WITH it's companion Butter SERVING Knife riding along -
ready to fall off as soon as you touched the plate!

Butter plate HELD in your left hand, you sliced off a suitable
(Not so MUCH, Johnny!)
hunka butter which you then transferred to you OWN Bread Plate.
Butter SERVING Knife was then returned to the Butter SUPPLY Plate -
and you "bothered" someone else at the table to get rid of the Butter.

Next, grab a roll -

(Johnny! - "Ask" to have the rolls "Passed"!)
"Take" the roll dish; then pluck one out from under the nappi-kin they
were always hidden under ... then try to get rid of the Roll Dish...

Now "break" the roll or bread slice (another NO-NO - trying to butter-up
a whole roll or slice of bread!)

HALF a roll or slice in Left paw, pick up YOUR Butter Knife -
that lil "shortie" knife with the rounded end - NOT your main cuttin knife! -
and butter ONE (small) byte atta time!

Peas, Corn, and other "Hard to Eat" stuff

Dad came from a "Proper Eatin" Family just like Mom did ...
But he'd learned a few Tricks that he passed along when
Mom went to get something from the kitchen!

Corn & Peas -
That stuff that just would NOT jump onna fork and make it all the
way up to your mouth?

Dad's FIX:
First - ALWAYS "save" a "backstop" on you plate - something you
could *herd* those pesky PEAS up against and use to *hold* em
still whil you slid the fork under em!
Good Backstops were a hunka meat or better yet -
a nice pile of Mashed Potatoes!

"Loadin" da peas was only half the battle ... ya had to get em
"delivered" to your mouth!

Dad's FIX ~
"MIX" em with something "sticky" - gravey was his first choice!
Or he'd do a Combo-Load ... em into the mashed spuds
and then scoop a bit of the spuds on the fork WITH the peas ...
the spuds made a lil BackStop on the fork - a sure way to deliver
*most* of the peas to your mouth and not your lap!

If we had "Company", Mom would "Go Formal" and pull out ALL the *stuff* -
Polish the "Good Silver" and lay out ALL the "Specialty Tools" -
Servin and Carvin stuff that didn't often see daylight ...

And Dad would go "Hill-Billy" - "HEY, what's THIS Do-Thingy for!?"
Mom would just

and

Ahhh, the Gud Ole Daze!

/s/ Phred

**sasvermont** · 06-08-2005, 02:19 PM

We were brought up to have manners at the table, to the point of feeling like we were in the Army and sitting next to a drill sargent! No elbows, no noises, no reaching, no nothing. We used paper napkins - I use only cloth now......or my sleeve! We had to be excused from the table - we didn't just bolt when we were finished. "May I please be excused?"......... We were not allowed to root through the refrigerator for snacks etc, we had to ask. !

I think society in the US is missing the standard manners in many families. I work with some attorneys with the worst manners I have ever seen. It is not what they do, career wise, just that you would think they would care about how they appear while out/in dining with fellow workers and clients. Some children (and many grown-ups) today simply amaze me with their lack of manners. Don't get me started..... Yes, it is a slow news day!

Anyhow, I do use all my utensils and chew with my mouth CLOSED.....and do the best I can to not offend any fellow dinners.

**Edwina's Secretary** · 06-08-2005, 02:24 PM

Of course...asking to be excused from the table! Once my cousin left the table without asking to be excused. My mother called to him..."Johnny, did you forget to do something before you left the table?" He came back...sat down...and said a prayer!

My mother stills laughs about it to this day. That was NOT what she was expecting....

**catlover4ever** · 06-08-2005, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by sasvermont
We were brought up to have manners at the table, to the point of feeling like we were in the Army and sitting next to a drill sargent! No elbows, no noises, no reaching, no nothing. We used paper napkins - I use only cloth now......or my sleeve! We had to be excused from the table - we didn't just bolt when we were finished. "May I please be excused?"......... We were not allowed to root through the refrigerator for snacks etc, we had to ask. !

I was brought up by my grandparents and my mom and our house was the same way...no elbows, asking to be excused, putting a napkin on our laps, etc.

I was in for a shock when I met my now husband. If he needs to cut meat with a knife he takes hold of the knife and gives it a full fisted grip

you would think that the knife was going to sprout legs and run off the table. I have tried to show him several times how to properly hold a fork and knife but to no avail...so I stopped.

As for using a fork and a knife....I too only use the knife to cut my food and the fork to eat with. I really never gave it any thought but I must say I do find this thread to be very interesting.

**carole** · 06-08-2005, 05:58 PM

well this has turned out to be very interesting and rather amusing, thanks for the replys everyone, we here in NZ just cannot manage without our knives and forks, it is like having bacon without eggs, it is just the norm here, and I think we take a lot of our traditions from our British ancestors who first settled here.

Some of us,like to load up. like we eat say a bit of mashed potatoe, some peas and the meat altogether in conjuction with our fork, of course some people like to eat their food separately, again its a preference thing.

I don't consider it uncivilised versus civilised, it is just customs that occurr in different countries, as you would think us weird using both ,we think it weird not using both.

However there are sometimes I might just use my fork like eating scrambled eggs with no toast underneath, then I would just use my fork.