At the dinner table we had a lively discussion about food etiquette! We generally agreed on what constitutes good manners at mealtime; but had varied opinions on whether mixing foods on your plate is appropriate or not. At the left is a visual of Andie taking a bite of of her mashed potatoes and chicken (okay so far) but then she added a mix of her tossed salad and dressing (getting a little yucky) and finished it off by spearing some watermelon onto the same fork. All mixed together! Eww, gross!
Andie thinks this is perfectly acceptable. But food mixing is one of my pet peeves; so I'm opposed to mashing multiple tastes together! I'm a purist about food and unless it is an understandable combination (think turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce) I prefer food items on my plate that don't touch each other. Just the thought of adding chicken to a bite of watermelon could ruin my meal! Or the reverse; watermelon juice running under the chicken breast on your plate! I'm losing my appetite just with the thought of food combinations!
Well, after consulting Miss Manners (Judith Martin, the Etiquette Expert) I have learned that there are probably more important things to be learned at the dinner table than whether mixing foods should be allowed.
"The dinner table," Miss Manners said, "is the center for the teaching and practicing not just of table manners but of conversation, consideration, tolerance, family feeling, and just about all the other accomplishments of polite society except the minuet."
I guess that means I should tolerate Andie's food mixtures and she can be considerate of my predilection of foods staying separated! And, as parents, I guess Brent and I should keep (or start) teaching manners and practicing polite behavior at every meal!
