Table Manners

At my primary school we just sat on the concrete court playground and out our lunch from what we bought from home. Children that didn't have any food would go round 'scabbing' off others who had food. There were no tables.
I would always have a packet of chips (crisps) nearly everyday, so I was sort of popular among the 'scabbers'. I didn't always share my lunch though, cos I was so skinny, most people thought I needed to eat more and mostly left me alone, but at home I was always told I had to eat more lol

I thought I ate the same as everyone else did, and if I ate more though, I was deemed selfish and greedy. So I got mixed messages all the time over food.
 
At high school there were no tables either. Everyone had to go outside for lunch. We would sit on the ground or huddle by the doorways as well, or maybe some of the few benches provided round the school that weren't damp. If it was wet, we weren't allowed in the classrooms most of the time we had to sit on the floor in the corridors. The school pavilion for seniors had no furniture and everyone sat on the floor there too.

When I got to university we ate at tables and sat on (plastic) chairs like normal civilised people. We even had lunch trays and a real cafeteria, and outside picnic tables. I thought it was great, although if you went outside thats where everyone smoked.
 
Lanolin said:
haha
Of course.
But the money could come out of.....the parents who can afford to send their children to this private school. They already paying nearly a years wages for a part time worker for each child with the cost of school fees. And the school has about 800 enrolments each year. So I don't know where that money is going, definitely not to the support staff.

For a ticket to go to the school ball, it's $140.
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Hooray for the USA!

The charge for my grandsons prom this year was $20.00 and that included the meal!!!
 
Lanolin said:
At high school there were no tables either. Everyone had to go outside for lunch. We would sit on the ground or huddle by the doorways as well, or maybe some of the few benches provided round the school that weren't damp. If it was wet, we weren't allowed in the classrooms most of the time we had to sit on the floor in the corridors. The school pavilion for seniors had no furniture and everyone sat on the floor there too.

When I got to university we ate at tables and sat on (plastic) chairs like normal civilised people. We even had lunch trays and a real cafeteria, and outside picnic tables. I thought it was great, although if you went outside thats where everyone smoked.
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New Zealand is a tuff place!
 
Lanolin said:
At my primary school we just sat on the concrete court playground and out our lunch from what we bought from home. Children that didn't have any food would go round 'scabbing' off others who had food. There were no tables. I would always have a packet of chips (crisps) nearly everyday, so I was sort of popular among the 'scabbers'. I didn't always share my lunch though, cos I was so skinny, most people thought I needed to eat more and mostly left me alone, but at home I was always told I had to eat more lol I thought I ate the same as everyone else did, and if I ate more though, I was deemed selfish and greedy. So I got mixed messages all the time over food.
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When I was in Elementary school, Junior (Middle) and High school there was a government breakfast and lunch program for all children who come from a low income family.

I was too young at the time to notice such a program, not until I got older. My Mom became a single parent when my youngest brother was in high school. Money was tight and that's when I learned about the program.

I know people in school who were skinny and I would give my extra apple, chips or cookies to them so I could go play at recess. When they came to class the next day they would share their gummy bears, gum or licorice with me.
 
bobinfaith said:
When I was in Elementary school, Junior (Middle) and High school there was a government breakfast and lunch program for all children who come from a low income family.

I was too young at the time to notice such a program, not until I got older. My Mom became a single parent when my youngest brother was in high school. Money was tight and that's when I learned about the program.

I know people in school who were skinny and I would give my extra apple, chips or cookies to them so I could go play at recess. When they came to class the next day they would share their gummy bears, gum or licorice with me.
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I guess I sould be thankful that mama told me I could have what my brother didnt eat for lunch. Maybe that is why I overeat now ....to make up the loss?:(
 
bobinfaith said:
When I was in Elementary school, Junior (Middle) and High school there was a government breakfast and lunch program for all children who come from a low income family.

I was too young at the time to notice such a program, not until I got older. My Mom became a single parent when my youngest brother was in high school. Money was tight and that's when I learned about the program.

I know people in school who were skinny and I would give my extra apple, chips or cookies to them so I could go play at recess. When they came to class the next day they would share their gummy bears, gum or licorice with me.
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aw..we weren't allowed lollies at school but I am sure some children subsisted on them when there was nothing to eat at home.
 
Before everyone had school lunches, there was a breakfast program.
There was free fruit offered at my school. When I did pizza run on Thursday, the children gladly read 7 books for a free hot pizza I would deliver it. Any extra pizzas I would share and told them to give to the teacher as reward (they would then share it out) it was the highlight of their week.

No table manners though they weren't allowed to eat in the library, I had to make sure that everyone got the pizza they asked for. They would take the box away and save it for dinner sometimes, if they didn't scoff the lot at lunchtime. I got to eat pizza too, but I paid for mine lol.
Sometimes I would eat with them in the room adjacent or on the benches outside the library, though when we were at the table, I always thanked the Lord for our pizzas, even though they came from Hell (that was the name of the pizza company lol)
 
The teachers would spread a mat on the concrete outside the classroom for everyone to sit and eat their lunch. Like a picnic blanket. Basically was a picnic for lunch everyday, but no sharing, everyone had their own lunchbox (except for those who forgot to bring OR literally had no food at home)

In workplaces, the only catered lunch we had was at special meetings, or when I worked in film, cos we were paid so low and months later, they fed us - caterers had breakfast and lunch so we didn't have to worry about bringing our own.
 
Lolly/lollies, short for lollipop...nz word for candy or sweet or bonbon

Basically the gateway to drugs lol
 
In nz there was a phenomenon in the 50s and 60s called 'the six o'clock swill' and it was described like pigs and a trough...everyone had to drink up before closing time at the pub. I think restricting meal times to 10-15 minutes drives everyone crazy, how are you supposed to have any manners when you are practically forced to eat or starve?
 
the cup of water AND hot drink at a cafe I don't get.
Why do people drink water AND also have a hot drink at a cafe?
They would pour me a water even though I hadn't asked for one and already had a drink. Then I would be full of my hot drink and I couldn't drink the water as well so it would be untouched and poured down the drain which was a waste of water.

Am bit puzzled about this custom. This also happened at a high tea, we would all have tea and they offered us bottled water AS WELL. Why would we drink tea and water together?
 
I don't really have many table manners, I just do the basic polite thing, such as not speaking when chewing, not leaving too much of mess on the table when at a restaurant, cleaning up after myself whenever possible. I don't think things like using the right fork for the right course is important. It's only important for people who move in certain social circles.

Also, I didn't know that it's proper to keep one's elbows off the table. Did you know?
 
Most of the time people don't even eat off tables. They eat standing up or sitting on the floor with their packed lunch or gulp food through a drive through.
When we have the Lords supper at church we just serve ourselves. Nobody can fit round the table anyway.

Bosses never eat with their staff. Kitchen staff sit in the back room eating off sacks of flour whatever doesn't get served. When you watch shows like Masterchef there's always a bunch of men in business suits critiquing the food. They don't really have table manners esp if they don't like what's being served and will say that its overcooked, too salty, or badly presented. But if they like it they'll give the chef points.
 
Wan said:
I don't really have many table manners, I just do the basic polite thing, such as not speaking when chewing, not leaving too much of mess on the table when at a restaurant, cleaning up after myself whenever possible. I don't think things like using the right fork for the right course is important. It's only important for people who move in certain social circles.

Also, I didn't know that it's proper to keep one's elbows off the table. Did you know?
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Hello Wan;

You make a point in this topic that Table Manners come in different flavors by the posters here.

While living in England as a boy I learned to use the fork and knife while eating my dinner. In the Philippines it was a fork and spoon. In Japan it was the proper use of chopsticks without placing the sticks vertically.

In Canada and at home in the States I basically use the same table manners you shared and thank my parents for instilling all these different manners in their children.

As far as elbows I was also taught to keep them off the table. It was to give more room to the person on my left or right.




 
Wan said:
That is very interesting Bob, I didn't know. I thought it was just to look more elegant.
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We were taught to keep elbows off the table also, although I really never understood why.
bobinfaith said:
I was also taught to keep them off the table. It was to give more room to the person on my left or right.
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bobinfaith , I googled this particular manner to see what the history was, you are more right than you may know. Here’s what I found:

Why Did We Start Keeping Elbows off the Table?​

Margaret Visser explained to Readers Digest, “For earlier civilizations, it was a way to prevent outbreaks of violence at the table. "Table manners prevented us from leaving our space and starting a fight. It was important that people saw you as considerate or trying hard,"
“In the olden days, crossing that invisible border could be interpreted as disregarding order when social norms were the only thing keeping people in line. People like that were dangerous and capable of anything. "People got scared when you started having bad manners," Visser continued. "They realized the taboo was not functioning, and you didn't know what this person was going to do next."
 
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