This blog post was inspired by a conversation on Twitter. Canadian Family asked its followers “On a scale of 1-10 (10=very), how important is it to you that your kids have good table manners?” I replied that while I rate the importance of table manners at a 10+, I rate my actual accomplishment at instilling table manners a rather measly 3 to 3.5, tops.
I try, I really do. Family meal time is incredibly important to me, and we dine together each night. I love the idea of raising polite, respectful, well-mannered little Stepford boys who know which fork applies to which course, and who can carry on a polite mealtime discourse on the use of the Oxford comma. Each meal together brings yet another opportunity for new lessons and gentle correction. And? Horrendous failure on the manners front. Sadly, I am vastly outnumbered, and it is an uphill battle where concessions are made rather gratuitously and despite my best intentions.
I found the following list of North American table manners on Wikipedia. I’ve added our interpretation of each “rule”.
Dip your soup spoon away from you into the soup. Eat soup noiselessly, from the side of the spoon. When there is a small amount left, you may lift the front end of the dish slightly with your free hand to enable collection of more soup with your spoon. We are satisfied when soup is not lapped from the bowl in the manner of a dog.
If you are having difficulty getting food onto your fork, use a small piece of bread or your knife to assist. Never use your fingers. Fork use writ large is the exception rather than the rule. See above re: soup.
There should be no negative comments about the food nor of the offerings available. Vigourous and entertaining if not tedious campaigns are regularly mounted with regard to the consumption of vegetables and other suspicious foods. When relenting to consumption, energies are then expended on bartering required quantities.
Chew with your mouth closed. Do not slurp, talk with food in your mouth, or make loud or unusual noises while eating. I truly believe they are incapable of surviving a 15 minute period without making loud or unusual noises, while eating or otherwise.
Say “Excuse me,” or “Excuse me. I’ll be right back,” before leaving the table. Do not state that you are going to the restroom. Usually, one leaps from the table with a look of panic and darts from the room hollering, “Make way, make way, I gotta go peeeeeeee” as they run down the hallway. As long as no mention is made of draining the main vein or seeing a man about a horse, I’m okay with that.
Do not talk excessively loudly. Give others equal opportunities for conversation. Ha! ’nuff said.
Refrain from blowing your nose at the table. Excuse yourself from the table if you must do so. Frankly, I’m happy if they blow their noses with a tissue at the table. It’s the gratuitous use of sleeve that rankles me. Especially when it’s MY sleeve.
Burping, coughing, yawning, sneezing, or flatulence at the table should be avoided. If you do so, say, “Excuse me.” If you say “Excuse me” in burp language, does that count?
Never slouch or tilt back while seated in your chair. At any given moment of a meal, I am quite sure there are at least four chair legs out of contact with the ground. I’m beginning to believe the house is tilted.
Do not “play with” your food or utensils. Never wave or point silverware. Does stabbing someone in the back of the hand over the last piece of pie count? Because Beloved has done that. To me. More than once. And also? Does playing with someone else’s food count?
You may rest forearms or hands on the table, but not elbows. I’m okay with elbows on the table, not so much elbows or foreheads on the plate itself.
If food must be removed from the mouth for some reason, it should be done using the same method which was used to bring the food to the mouth, i.e. by hand, by fork, etc., with the exception of fish bones, which are removed from the mouth between the fingers. What, simply opening your mouth and letting gravity pull half-masticated food back on to your plate is not an acceptable way to register that a particular taste does not suit your palate?
Gentlemen should stand when a lady leaves or rejoins the table. Yeah, and the whole table would be bouncing up and down like their chairs were pogo sticks. “Mom, I need a drink.” “Mom, can you get the ketchup?” “Mom, I dropped the dipping sauce into my lap!” “Mom, did you forget my drink?” Gah.
The Canadian Family peeps said that on their informal Twitter poll, respondents ranked the importance of table manners at 9.8 out of 10. But here’s what I’d really like to know: how do you rate your own kids’ table manners on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “My children could teach the Queen a few tidbits on etiquette over tea at Buckingham Palace”?
And really, is it a boy thing? Cuz that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it.