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From: walsh@ihuxi.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: How to eat dinner in England
Message-ID: <722@ihuxi.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-Dec-83 08:50:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxi.722
Posted: Wed Dec  7 08:50:03 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Dec-83 05:58:56 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
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FMC asks "Why is it considered poor etiquette to cut all your meat before
eating?". Good question. Why is it considered poor etiquette to put your
elbows on the table, to tuck your napkin in your collar, eat peas with a
knife, etc., etc.? These things should not offend anyone else, either.
I guess it's because eating is such an important and social act that
rules were made for it and not all of them make sense, but then a lot
of etiquette rules seem meaningless. They just bring order to things,
and set standards for the way things should be done so there's no question.
Does anyone know how some of these rules got started? Did ol' Amy Vanderbilt
or Emily Post make them all up?

B. Walsh