Table Manners

I use a spoon and fork to eat spaghetti and twist the spaghetti on to the fork using the bowl of the spoon.
What is the correct way to eat spaghetti? Does anyone know?

Yes.
You have to hunch over your plate, and then ram as many long strings of spaghetti into your mouth as possible.
Any which don't quite fill your cheeks to hamster proportions, you have to suck up, making a slurping sound.
The aim is to get the wayward spaghetti strings to slap against each cheek on its way into your mouth, leaving a red sauce 'smile' worthy of The Joker in a Batman film.

Have you been peeking through my windows MissA

Personally, I never expect complete strangers to have the same standards as I do. Presumably they have their own.

I was brought up with the saying "all joints on the table will be carved", and repeated it to my C and now my GC

Nowadays with our meals being more varied, different methods are needed. Chopsticks are used for chinese, forks and spoons for pasta and forks and chapatis/naans for Indian.

They do all laugh at me because I have a problem with "bones" and use a knife and fork for BBQ ribs.

As long as we have food on our table and having a joyous family meal who cares!!!

This post made me laugh. I am not British born and when I met my husband and saw him holding knive and fork like you are riding a motorbike, I thought his mother must have totally neglected his table manners and he was eating like a baby. Using a fork upside down and pick up peas on top just seemed utterly rediculous. There is a reason for a fork to have that shape. He was quite offended when I asked him if he had not been told how to hold knive and fork.

MissA and lemongrove

I meant what's the best way to eat spaghetti when in company, not when I'm on my own (or just with DH)! Slurp slurp.

all joints on the table will be carved
We used to say 'all joints on the table should be cooked'

My son is disabled...if we insisted on him holding the fork in a certain way then he woukd never manage to eat independently.

When we go out he will chose something like a chicken wrap and corn on the cob, so he can legitimately use his fingers.

I think you need to get out more

Hilarious thread. Am enjoying all the contributions.

I hate eating with people who endlessly push food around their plate. They take an age and everything must be cold by the time they have finished. Like many other posters it is open mouthed eating that is a big put off for me.

I am left handed so use my knife in my left hand which according to most people is wrong. I also (shock horror) always drink any leftover milk from my cereal dish. I was brought up not to waste food but as mum was blind, largely left to work out utensil usage for myself.

Another personal dislike of mine is that TABLE manners are becoming a thing of the past as so many families do not have a table these days.

The fact that we are all debating this at length shows how lucky we are in a world that has huge swathes of populations with little or less to eat.

I take BBQ ribs into my hands, we don't eat them with BBQ sauce. I advised the GCs to eat them like that with their teeth. I told them 'Thats what teeth are for' and hope they will not become vegetarian.
The rest of the time I feel that we need to be relaxed over methods of eating due to so many all-in-one meals.
Its good manners to leave an empty plate or if not empty then tidy.

I find I often pick up chips and interesting bits of salad with my fingers these days.
Politely though.

Its good manners to leave an empty plate or if not empty then tidy.
That reminded me of a very elderly great-aunt who would always leave a tiny bit of each type of food on her plate. Apparently that was considered good manners in the olden days (probably Victorian times!).
It always puzzled me as a child as I was always encouraged to try to eat up everything on my plate.

GabriellaG are you American? I only ask because, here in the UK, one leaves one's knife and fork in the six thirty position with the tines facing upwards when finished. 5 o'clock or 7 o'clock scream American to me.