Hard and fast table fascism is one thing, but please, have SOME manners. It makes you tolerable.

for the record, the “no elbows on the table” rule has been dismissed by modern etiquette, it was ruled that if it keeps you from slumping down in your chair (which is far ruder) then it is completely acceptable to have your elbows on the table…and also, it's having “both” on the table, even under the old rules it was ok to have one. i. am. a. dork. sorry.

this is why you use chopsticks.

Americans juggling their cutlery dates back to Revolutionary War Era when putting down your knife during a meal was a gesture of peace and meant that you weren't going to knife your dinner mate. It's like holstering your gun while you make love in Texas.

Dunno how many chicks I've eaten with who have said something about my eating with my left hand. I'm ambidextrous, it seems comfortable to cut with right and fork with left. I could do it the other way, doesn't matter, just the way I do it. You guys can do whatever you want, I'll never judge you on utensil usage. The napkin thing: what about a lobster bib? Is the only food you can use that with is lobster? Why not ribs or soup? For a particularly juicy meal, I'll have one down my shirt and one on my lap. What's gonna happen, the paparzzi going to snap a picture of me at the Rainbow? Who would care? Who is looking at people while they eat, anyway? That's rude. And what about pizza? You supposed to cut it up and eat bits of slices? The soup thing: I expect soup to be served hot. The spoon serves to cool the soup on its way to my mouth. You want to drink it out of the bowl, I'm fine with that. Eat any way you are comfortable eating.

and what's with this silly taboo about taking a crap in the middle of the floor? So I'm not the queen of England, GET OVER IT!

One reason i like ethiopian food, you get to eat with your fingers!

i like the eat with your hands rule, and although i do abide by table manners and find eating with your mouth open extremely annnnnoying! and gross (it's like the equivalent of scratching one's nails on a chalkboard) >[, i don't think the elbows rule nor the million utensils are necessary.

Why stop there? Extend this thinking to the workplace and personal relationships as well. ANYTHING GOES!

Table manners are actually cool.

Etiquette is life! What is wrong with you people?!

I'm right handed. I eat the entire meal with fork in right hand, cutting with left. I don't juggle the knife and fork around. I never knew we were supposed to until someone called me on it.

I've never eaten or seen anyone eating using the “Zig Zag Method” in Europe. First time I heard it was good manners, also. I always thought it was just lazy. You're not a child. You can hold a knife and a fork at the same time. I call for a fork revolution!

I'm usually the only one that tucks a napkin in the collar during a particularly messy dinner. I am also the only one that picks up sushi with my fingers. I do however think looking at someone trying to talk with their mouth full is so disgusting. Especially when you're also trying to eat and little pieces of their partially digested food goes flying around you.

Left-handers and the rest of the civilised cutlery using world. I've never understood the American fork juggling technique. Can anyone explain it?

can we get a “no elbows on the table” on here? somehow rude… but it's so comfortable!

Ha ha, righthanders! Lefties just cut and eat. No transfer! Score update: Righthanders - 480,000,000,000,000 Lefthanders - 3… and gaining We'll catch you bastards.