Unofficial Etiquette Pollage

[primroseburrows]

After hearing a discussion on the radio about table manners and cultural/national ways of eating, I got curious and decided to ask you guys about it. According to the program, there is more than one way people in Western countries use a knife while eating. I did not know this, which shows just how much I don't know about culture.

So anyway, a poll:



[Poll #1409363]

Comments

[stormymouse.livejournal.com]

switching the knife and fork and putting the knife down ... way too complicated. nobody i know, at least none of my german peeps, do that.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

nobody i know, at least none of my german peeps, do that.

My theory, based on what Manners Lady said, seems to be right: It's mostly a US thing (and maybe some of Canada?).

[stormymouse.livejournal.com]

now that i think of it, i've never seen any of my canadian peeps do it, either. hmmm. i need to pay attention to that from now on. intriguing.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Maybe Twin Peaks was right--it should be called "North American". The host of the show had never heard of the switching thing. According to Wikipedia he was born in London (England) and raised in Canada. I'm pretty sure he's of Muslim ancestry, but I don't know how much ethnicity affects the whole thing, since I never knew there WAS a whole thing until today.

[stormymouse.livejournal.com]

it never occurred to me that people would be taught to do the switching-and-putting-down thing. i've seen it done on tv or in movies but i've always figured it's just the way that certain person uses cutlery.