" Never eat with your knife. Is this unnecessary advice ? Go into any restaurant or
hotel and observe."
"A point in etiquette recently decided a lawsuit in a queer way. A traveler on a Ger-
man railroad train attempted to eat a lunch while on the journey. While putting a piece
of bologna sausage in his mouth the train stopped suddenly, causing his cheek to be badly
cut on the edge of his knife, which he was using. The man sued the company for dam-
ages, but his claim was not sustained, on the ground that it is a breach of etiquette to eat
with a knife."
" A singular will has been probated at Jasper, Tenn. An old man died, leaving a
large property in trust, to be used by the trustees in any manner they may deem best to
suppress the habit prevalent among men of eating with knives when forks should be used.
The deceased says he has always felt the disadvantages of early training in that respect.
He was in the habit of reproving everybody at hotels or elsewhere he saw using knives
for eating, and was a monomaniac on the subject."
It might as well be said here of the marked improvement generally as to the use of
the knife, it is not now as universally sheathed in a man's or woman's mouth, as if they
were sword-swallowers. Thirty years ago in France, the use of the knife at dinner was
almost tabooed. The custom was to divide the food with the fork, rather an awkward
custom, as forks have generally no cutting edge, and to aid the act of conveying food to
the mouth on the fork, by means of a bit of bread ; which, by the way, is very useful in.
eating fish. Long habit makes people amazingly clever about this kind of thing. To eat
with gloves on is female snobbery. Young women who go out to parties may be lavish
, of gloves, and may be indifferent to smearing them with lobster salad, or to have the first
finger and thumb darkened where the spoon touches them. But nothing is prettier than
the freshness of a woman's hand, and the best fitting glove is, after all, but an awkward
thing. Gloved hands that feed, to keep up me whole dignity of the thing, should find
mouths which were hidden behind veils.
How the knife and fork is to be used, or what is to be done with them when the plate
is passed to be replenished ? We think the question divides itself into distinct phases, if
there is a servant, the knife and fork may be left on the plate. It is then the duty of the
attendant who carries the plate to the place of replenishment to take care of the knife and
" EAT AT YOUR OWN TABLE AS YOU WOULD AT THAT OF A KINO," SAID CONFUCIUS.
56 HOME DISSERTATIONS.
tork, putting them on one side of the plate, so as to be out of the way of the new supply
of food. But this leaving the knife and fork is quite optional. To cross, however, the
knife and fork, is inelegant, and gives extra trouble. If, however, there is no one in at-
tendance, it is wisest to retain the knife and fork, and here the individual knife-rests are
serviceable, an article for dinner service considered indispensable by English dinner givers.
As soon as seated, remove your gloves. If raw oysters are already served, you at once
begin to eat; to wait for others to commence is old-fashioned.
Page 46
Presented as published in 1891. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
" Never eat with your knife. Is this unnecessary advice ? Go into any restaurant or hotel and observe."
"A point in etiquette recently decided a lawsuit in a queer way. A traveler on a German railroad train attempted to eat a lunch while on the journey. While putting a piece of bologna sausage in his mouth the train stopped suddenly, causing his cheek to be badly cut on the edge of his knife, which he was using. The man sued the company for damages, but his claim was not sustained, on the ground that it is a breach of etiquette to eat with a knife."
" A singular will has been probated at Jasper, Tenn. An old man died, leaving a large property in trust, to be used by the trustees in any manner they may deem best to suppress the habit prevalent among men of eating with knives when forks should be used. The deceased says he has always felt the disadvantages of early training in that respect. He was in the habit of reproving everybody at hotels or elsewhere he saw using knives for eating, and was a monomaniac on the subject."
It might as well be said here of the marked improvement generally as to the use of the knife, it is not now as universally sheathed in a man's or woman's mouth, as if they were sword-swallowers. Thirty years ago in France, the use of the knife at dinner was almost tabooed. The custom was to divide the food with the fork, rather an awkward custom, as forks have generally no cutting edge, and to aid the act of conveying food to the mouth on the fork, by means of a bit of bread ; which, by the way, is very useful in. eating fish. Long habit makes people amazingly clever about this kind of thing. To eat with gloves on is female snobbery. Young women who go out to parties may be lavish , of gloves, and may be indifferent to smearing them with lobster salad, or to have the first finger and thumb darkened where the spoon touches them. But nothing is prettier than the freshness of a woman's hand, and the best fitting glove is, after all, but an awkward thing. Gloved hands that feed, to keep up me whole dignity of the thing, should find mouths which were hidden behind veils.
How the knife and fork is to be used, or what is to be done with them when the plate is passed to be replenished ? We think the question divides itself into distinct phases, if there is a servant, the knife and fork may be left on the plate. It is then the duty of the attendant who carries the plate to the place of replenishment to take care of the knife and
" EAT AT YOUR OWN TABLE AS YOU WOULD AT THAT OF A KINO," SAID CONFUCIUS.
fork, putting them on one side of the plate, so as to be out of the way of the new supply of food. But this leaving the knife and fork is quite optional. To cross, however, the knife and fork, is inelegant, and gives extra trouble. If, however, there is no one in attendance, it is wisest to retain the knife and fork, and here the individual knife-rests are serviceable, an article for dinner service considered indispensable by English dinner givers. As soon as seated, remove your gloves. If raw oysters are already served, you at once begin to eat; to wait for others to commence is old-fashioned.