Did my ears deceive me?

Yes I saw this phoenix

I guess maybe she wasn't used to being in a restaurant or eating steak.

Maybe she thought Ribeyes and Sirloins were animals in their own right.

I very rarely eat Stewing, Rumps or T-Bones cos they're just tooooooo cute.

As a none steak eater I do know they are both beef but wouldn't have a clue at the difference between them so I m not far behind her

So, Bluebelle, neither of us would have ordered steak in the first place

Poor girl, probably terrified, had a mind crash and just ordered the only thing on the menu she recognised. I confess, I haven't ever seen the programme.

A lot of people are very self-conscious about eating out.

I'd feel sorry for her making a blunder like that and being held up to ridicule on national TV but for the fact that these people do sign up for 'anything to be on TV' status.

"As a none steak eater I do know they are both beef but wouldn't have a clue at the difference between them so I m not far behind her"

Being an occasional steak eater doesn't help, Bluebelle. I don't know the difference either. Nor do I care much. If it's good meat I'll eat it; I'm not fussed about what it's called.

Actually, I might know a bit. Let's have a guess and then I'll go a-googling.
I reckon ribeye has something to do with the ribs so I guess meat under a rib.
Sirloin has something to do with the loin and 'sir' might be a corruption of 'sur' meaning above... so somewhere along the back.

<Googles meat cuts>

Well, whadyaknow, Mumsnet had the best answers. Apparently, "ribeye's tastier and juicier and sirloin has the the edge very very slightly on tenderness" (PogueMahone).

As regards where it is, I reckon my guesses are good enough. In short, I don't really care which bit of animal it's from so long as it's good meat, which both are.

One could always ask which the waitress would choose. After all, it depends as much on cooking as anatomical placement when it comes to differences between steaks.

The 'sir' part it is said was added when someone or other 'knighted' the loin I've been led to believe.

That's probably a load of bull! But the point I think was that she didn't recognise them as both being beef.

Why am I wasting my Sunday morning discussing some silly girl's lack of knowledge

i really don't see why it's so shocking to not know specific cuts of meat or which wine has a fruity woody zest it's all pretentious stuff and nonsense anyway
I hope she enjoyed her beefy steak and bless her I hope the man enjoyed her personality

That's probably a load of bull

Ha ha Anya!

I heard story of the knighting of the loin too - I think it was on Countryside.

I think ribeyes are much nicer as they have more fat in them

I can't remember the last time I ate steak of any kind either at home or in a restaurant. I do have minced beef sometimes though (if that counts)
I have never had ribeye in my life.

Moving off topic (apologies) my 11 year old granddaughter couldn't believe that I have never tasted Lobster in my life. "Even I've had lobster and I'm only eleven" she said.

Ribeye is definitely tastier.

I think the poor girl might have been confused because now in some supermarkets you see lamb steaks and pork steaks too. If, like most young people, she's never used a proper old fashioned butcher then there is no reason that she should know.

I've had sirloin as a joint, it doesn't take long to cook.
We rarely have steak, but did a few weeks ago. No idea what cut it was.
I fried lots of shallots to go with it - it was delicious (mouth watering now!)

When King James stayed in Lancashire at Houghton Tower he enjoyed his loin of beef so much that he knighted it and so it became known as sirloin. This is well known in these parts, they tell you the story when you visit the tower.
I don't watch the programme but I remember the feeling of embarrassment on a visit to a restaurant when I was about 20 and I didn't know what a carafe was.

I agree that ribeye has more flavour than other cuts of steak. I do feel for her. When we were at school, we were taught in domestic science lessons about the different cuts of meat and what to do with them and it is something that always stuck with me. I also learned these things from watching my mother cook. I don't think they are taught anything of the sort these days and if this poor girl couldn't even relate it to the animal should we be surprised? A lot of us must have suffered a foodie embarrassment at some time or other. Mine was when, as a relatively new housewife in our first posting in they Far East I ordered some king prawns from the grocer and sent them back when he delivered them because they were the wrong colour - they were grey and not pink! I had never cooked, or even seen, fresh prawns before and didn't know that they change colour when they are cooked!!

We never could afford stakes when I grew up it would be cottage pies and stews and maybe a Sunday joint occasionally When I was married money was so short it was mince ( the things I did with mince from spaghetti to curries to pies) we even had giblets or chicken livers now as an older lady meat is not that important and nor is names.... and yes there are all sorts of steaks around now I bought some osterich steaks for my grandson to try the other week so the lass maybe not be as daft as some think

Of course she is not daft, she did not know! There is a difference, and in my opinion she should not be mocked for not knowing. Quite honestly if I were to order a steak, of whatever kind, I would not know when it arrived what kind it was, except a Tbone, which of course come with the bone, or it used to; can't remember the last time I had steak.

I once, as a very young 19 year old, asked for a martini in a pub.
I was asked whether I wanted sweet or dry.
Hadn't a clue so I said "oh, medium I think"

From the name, I would guess that a ribeye steak comes from inside the ribcage and the sirloin is the soft bit outside the rib cage along the spine. Having been an au pair with well-to-do families in several countries, I was patiently trained in many odd eating methods as a young girl, which has often been a help in later life. Colleagues looked on in awe as I filleted a trout on my plate.

When I was in the 6th form, though, I was out for a meal with my parents and some hotelier friends of theirs and asparagus was ordered for all of us as a starter. Asparagus is properly eaten with the fingers, so a finger bowl (a dish of warm water with a piece of lemon in it) was also provided. In my innocence, I thought the lemon was for eating (not for wiping fingers to remove smell/grease) and took it out of the bowl. The friends were very patient and explained to me what I was supposed to do.

What a great thread - I have loads of stories about this sort of thing.

The essence of good manners is to make the other person feel at ease. Anyone can commit a gaffe and it's up to their companions to ease their situation.

When we were a young couple we were at a dinner, my DH had to order the wine. I pointed to the graves, he asked for a bottle of graves as in grave stones. I was a bit more worldly and was mortified at his gaff.