Image provided by: Library of Congress; Washington, DC
About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1927)
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN PAGE 4 TABLE MANNERS (Continued from page 1) to avoid sticky fingers. At formal affairs corn on cob is not served and bones are not supposed to be picked. Diners are supposed to enjoy conversation as well as the meal, and talk and the two mentioned items do not get along very well together. Besides, this is a day of false teeth and not everyone can gracefully eat corn on the cob or pick a bone. Before drinking from a glass wipe the mouth with a napkin. This is to prevent the crystal smearing. When bouillon cups are used the spoon should first be used and then the soup is sipped. In other words, the spoon is used until the soup cools. Crackers and bread are not broken into the soup. This is for ap pearance’s sake. Butter is not supposed to go with soup. When fork and spoon are both provided with des sert the elite choose the former. Manipulation of asparagus is still a debatable subject. Washington society contents itself with using a fork on the tops and leaving the stalks alone. This is apparent; if the stalk is too tough for the fork it will prove an embarrassment in the mouth. Among other injunctions which have very good reasons are: Don’t drink or talk with food in the mouth. Keep the mouth closed while eating. In helping, take the article nearest you. Don’t reach for; ask. Refrain from taking salt on a knife or spoon. Keep hands and elbows off the table. If a minor accident happens, ignore it, but if you break something valuable replace it. Say “thank you” or “no, thank you” even to servitors. And toothpicks are for private use. instance, society does not purposely go out of its way to approve customs that invoke trouble and inconveni ence. There is a reason for everything. The chief thing to remember is that individual desires are sub ordinated to those of the majority. The best example of this is in table manners. It may appear absurd lor society to even suggest that the soup spoon be filled by pushing away instead of bringing forward. But it’s for your own good. In bringing forward some soup may fall on your clothes. In pushing away, it is natural to use less effort. Soup is sipped from the side, instead of the end of the spoon for the same reason—it is less likely to spill. And the chief reason why soup should be sipped silently is so that it will not annoy other diners. Why shouldn’t the soup plate be tilted? Because the soup is likely to spill and stain the cloth. A little soup should be allowed to remain at the bottom of the soup dish for the reason that the efforts to get up this remainder causes a clatter of metal on chinaware. The reason for not allowing a spoon to stand in a tea or coffee or other cup is logical. It may save an eye. Some form should be followed, therefore the use of the knife is usually confined to the right hand. Enough meat for a single mouthful is cut at a time. It isn’t appetizing to see the meat cut up all at once. Light meats and other soft foods are cut with a fork as a courtesy to the hostess. She might think the chicken breast is tough if a knife is used on it. Cus tom also discourages the use of the knife for salads. RECENT EVENTS This is due to the fact that salad dressing marks steel. In passing the plate for another helping knife and Mrs. Vest Parliment, a sister of Mrs. R. G. Downie, fork are laid side by side with handles toward the recently paid Chemawa a visit. right shoulder of the diner. There are two reasons Martha Fratis, now of Portland, was here recently for this. It enables the waiter to put food on the plate for a visit with her mother, Mrs. Aklina Fratis. without swamping these eating utensils and it also is a Miss Mildred Wright, nurse at Chemawa, recently precaution against their sliding off. Besides, at the entertained her mother, who came up from Portland conclusion of the course, this same position of the knife for a short visit. Al Allard of Marshfield, Oregon, made a visit to his and fork is a silent indication to the waiter that you cousins, Elizabeth Codding, Rachel and Frances Tan have finished. The custom of waiting for the hostess to start is ner. He was enroute to Portland. Mr. and Mrs. Robert DePoe of Chemawa recently merely a matter of courtesy. Etiquette frowns on had as guests Mr. and Mrs. Peterson and family of buttering whole slices of bread at a time because it Neah Bay, Wash. The Petersons were enroute from doesn’t look well. Butter bits at a time and do it a visit of some duration in San Francisco, California, on the butter plate. Naturally forks should not be to their home in Neah Bay. used to “spear” bread, because a hand reaching for DETAIL FOR WEEK the bread might be injured. Escort for girls to Salem, Nov. 19, Teacher No. 10. Celery, olives, nuts, radishes, grapes, plums, etc., Chaperones for girls walking, Sunday, Nov. 20— require fingers. The pit or stone is not placed in the McBride, Teacher No. 15; Winona, Asst. H. M. Win mouth. This avoids the embarrassment of having to ona; Hawley, Disciplinarian. In charge of auditorium, Teacher No. 12. spit it out. Cake with icing requires a fork. That is