[QUOTE=dynamitedave]
One of the advantages of being male is that if the meal was sufficiently delicious, instead of chasing those last drops of gravy, sauce etc , I have the ability to place both the knife and fork down, grasp the plate with both hands, and then lick off those last few extra tasty greasy bits. I usually then need wipe off my nose and chin with the back of my hand, then wipe off the back of my hand with a nearby object. This licking technique saves rinsing off the plate for those without a dog or cat :eek:
If you all don’t mind a hijack, why don’t I get invited over a second time? :smack:
Dave
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You, me *and *my kid! We play by bloke rules at home since we’re an all girl household; scratching ourselves, making loud bodily noises and smells, and of course, licking plates, fingers and faces.
Just remember - never lick chocolate from a toddler’s hand - especially if they haven’t been eating chocolate!
Too funny maggenpye. That put a smile on my face after too many frustrating hours CAD work on this lovely fine holiday morning. But I’ve promised myself it’s Yamaha time after lunch. Yay.
I have clear memories of getting ‘the look’ from my dad when trying to use my fork in some unorthodox manner to get the last of the peas off of my plate.
Now though, having lived in Europe for the last 8 years, I’ve adopted the fork in left hand, tines down method of eating. It just makes sense to me, and when I’ve been back in America and eating among friends, some of them have taken note of how I eat and commented on how logical it was.
Personally, I don’t mind how anyone uses their utensils, as long as the food ends up in the mouth and doesn’t make any other stops along the way.
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl]
Thanks, Lit. I’d be happy to have a meal at your place. I’ll bring the wine. 
And yurking in the lap of the Japanese PM is an embarassing faux pas. I’ll bet that translates across the cultural divide. 
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Ye gods, yes! Although, you noticed the Japanese PM was still far more civilised (soup slurping and all) than you or I could possibly be in that sitch, no?
You know, you’re always invited to dine with us, if you don’t mind unusual dinner topics (how many calories are in dust? was one that we actually worked out one night). I really was brought up in the South so I tend to wait on my guests pretty well. I don’t host large dinner parties, though, too lazy and my house is a wreck.
[QUOTE=Litoris]
You know, you’re always invited to dine with us, if you don’t mind unusual dinner topics (how many calories are in dust? was one that we actually worked out one night). I really was brought up in the South so I tend to wait on my guests pretty well. I don’t host large dinner parties, though, too lazy and my house is a wreck.
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Heh, same here. My place is a dump, hence I never have guests. I am a social pariah, actually. I go to work, I go home. That’s it. I’m a nice person, I just forgot how to be social somewhere along the way.
Oh, and as for odd dinner conversation, my family has got that down pat. You don’t even want to know. You can’t take us out in public if you’re the sensitive type! :o
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl]
Heh, same here. My place is a dump, hence I never have guests. I am a social pariah, actually. I go to work, I go home. That’s it. I’m a nice person, I just forgot how to be social somewhere along the way.
Oh, and as for odd dinner conversation, my family has got that down pat. You don’t even want to know. You can’t take us out in public if you’re the sensitive type! :o
[/QUOTE]
What’s funny is I live by the rule of “when at home, be yourself, be a kid, live your life, have fun, but in public, have some modicum (even if it’s faked) of decency” so while our dinner discussions at home can be …quite interesting, they’re pretty mundane (well, if you consider a white, non-ethnic, a-religious family discussing the Purim traditions mundane) and tame. Honestly, even if my house weren’t a wreck (no joke, my BIL destroyed this house – next weekend’s project is to replace the floor and toilet in the bathroom before one of us falls through when we sit for our morning constitutional!), I just would not be able to do a big dinner party. Oh I could do the cooking (and would enjoy it – I love cooking) and I could deal with being social (even though I am not the social type) but it’s the Southern mentality of waiting on my guests. I just would drive myself nuts. My MIL used to live in this house and I still don’t allow her to get her own drinks from the kitchen when she visits, and I clear her dishes for her, etc. It’s just the way I am. Heck, even my daughter’s not-boyfriend gets his plates made for him, and cleared for him and he all but flippin’ lives here!
I have the least graceful eating habits ever. First, my right hand is kind of useless. I never use it when eating except to hold my fork while I cut food with my left hand, and then–gasp!–I switch. I’d look like a three-year-old who’s just learning to eat with utensils if I did otherwise! (Actually, I tend to avoid eating food that can’t be cut with the side of my fork altogether.) Second, I only recently noticed that most people hold their fork tines down when putting a piece of stabbed food in their mouths, and I’ve self-consciously been trying to switch from tines-up to that method ever since. I can’t change the switching thing, though, nor can I eat with my right hand, so I guess I’ll just have to let people think I’m rude. Meh, actually I think I’ll just avoid eating with people who find it necessary to scrutinize the way I hold my utensils.