My husband has a sort of famous relative who’s pretty uppity. He went to dinner with her, years ago, at a fancy restaurant, and he committed the faux pas of cutting into his fish with the side of his fork, and she nearly slayed him with a wilting look, making him feel foolish and out of place. He knew better, but he just wasn’t thinking. Manners are nice, but it would have perhaps been more gracious, and therefore more proper, if she had either ignored his mistake, or picked up her fork and copied him. (I eat pizza with a knife and fork until it cools off enough to handle. It tastes good, either way).
I read how a fellow wanted to use his chopsticks properly before he made a trip to China. He studied with a cultural institute on how to use them when dining. Everything turned out well for his trip, until he then found himself on a subsequent tour in South Korea. He went out dining with local friends, who commented how he was using his chopsticks “like a Chinese”.
Manners are nice,
____________
The best manners are to ignore all other’s faux pas
The height of good manners is making your guests comfortable. If a silverware formality such as that was such a major issue that it had to be corrected, there are far gentler, less embarrassing ways.
“faux pas of cutting into his fish with the side of his fork”
As Troy said to Eve :
“good manners are just a way of showing other people we have respect for them. See, I didn’t know that, I thought it was just a way of acting all superior. “
You are spot on Mrs Flaming Conservative-
I would cut the fish with my fork too, just for support.
BTW-
REALLY gross buger.
Partial to Med Rare, toasted onion roll, sharp cheddar.
And gotta have a Half Sour, maybe Dr Brown’s too?
and she nearly slayed him with a wilting look,