The chicken sees…
Depends on the food, I think. If I’m alone I’m gonna gnaw that gristle right of the end of all the chicken bones and then go wash my face and hands afterwards, but if it’s a plate of spaghetti it’s not like I’ll eschew the fork to cram it in my gullet hand over fist.
Meh. When I’m alone I lick spoons when cooking and drink from the milk carton. Because no one but me is going to consume either foodstuff, so I can’t see it really matters. If I give myself my own germs, I’m sure I’ll live.
Yes, when I’m alone I do things like drink straight from containers, lick the last bit of sauce from a plate, and similar things I wouldn’t do at a family dinner or as a guest.
I can’t think of anything I do that would qualify as “something I would never want anyone to witness - ever”, though.
At home with my family, I sometimes like to lick plates or bowls. My mother would file that under “something I would never want anyone to witness - ever” and I would file that under “not too embarrassing”. I wouldn’t do it in a restaurant, though.
I tend to throw more food items into the air to catch with my mouth before they impact the floor.
Elbows on the table and the dog gets to lick the plate.
My placemat is the kitchen sink.
I visited a sick friend recently who was “cooking” dinner when I arrived - heating a packaged meal in the microwave. I was surprised to see him transfer the food from the plastic tray/container to a plate and sit down at a table setting to eat.
Especially if I was sick, I would grab a fork and eat from the original packaging. (And no, of course that’s not the most egregious at home departure from my manners)
If nobody’s looking, I’ll typically pick up an entire piece of chicken or meat with my fork and take bites out of it, rather than cutting it with a knife. I have little patience to eat with manners if I’m by myself.
When I’m eating alone, it would be pretty gross to watch me eat anything served with bones or any sloppy sandwiches.
Wow–people actually take microwave food out of the original packaging before eating it? <glances over at empty microwaveable Stouffer’s dish on desk>. Hmm. How interesting.
I voted “not too embarrassing” because I have been known to do things like make a whole bowl of cookie dough, park myself on the couch, eat whatever of it I want, and then make cookies from the rest. The spouse is the only one other than me who eats the cookies, and he doesn’t mind at all (he’s a heathen who doesn’t eat cookie dough–I’ve offered to share!) so I figure I’m okay.
Same here.
I usually eat the same in private as at home, except for two things:
- Breakfast at home is usu. in my underwear.
- If having cereal, in public, I usu. don’t finish off the milk by drinking the remainder from the bowl.
I have no table manners. I park myself on the sofa in front of the TV. I avoid getting food all over my face and clothes, but that’s about it. I’m another one who will spear a chunk of meat with my fork and bite hunks off it.
My son prefers to transfer his fast food to a plate. It baffles me. He puts chips in a bowl, too. I mean when he’s having them as a snack after school, not when entertaining.
When home alone I will read at dinner with both elbows on the table. Cutting up all my food ahead of time and eating on the couch also only happens when I’m alone. More often than any of that is that if I’m home alone I’ll eat cereal or popcorn for dinner.
Exactly the same. Polite table manners were very important to my parents. As such, I still don’t feel right eating like some medieval peasant.
Years ago, a date and I came back to my place with some fast food. I came back from the kitchen with the food on plates, but I’d also quartered the burgers with the fries in the middle, and added little side cups of ketchup and mayo. She looks at me and says “You’re shitting me, right?” 
I’m about as lazy as it gets and I’ll transfer fast food to a plate.
I don’t consider it manners - I consider it enhancing the dining experience…
There are lots of studies that show things like putting stuff on fancy plates and the like effects your perception on taste. I think they are true - even when you know you are doing it.
Don’t get me wrong - ill eat out of containers too when needed, but I like to have something hard to rest my food on.
There is a reason I only eat long pasta at home. I’m not a good twirler and I have a small capacity mouth. I twirl what I can onto the fork, then put the hunk in my mouth will all the noodle ends hanging out. Then I bite off the noodles and let them fall to the plate.