Etiquette experts offers advice for properly eating certain — seemingly difficult — foods
Readers: I will be addressing a variety of questions I have recently received, in writing or in person, regarding the proper etiquette for eating various food items. Some questions have been a result of a family discussion or some based on a discussion in the lunch room in an office environment. And although some may seem perhaps, trivial, they are nonetheless important to those who took the time to discuss or debate. My answers will be below each separate subject.
A long pickle slice
Q. The question presented to me was: Like how to eat a long pickle slice when it is on your plate along with a big burger and fries? How to eat a long pickle slice if you select it and add it to your plate of roast beef, mashed or baked potato and a vegetable? I always cut mine up in bite sized pieces unless I am on a picnic or outside at someone’s pool party and there are no forks and knives. My grown son eats it with his fingers, bite by bite, no matter where or how it is served. Which is correct?
A. In a casual setting, long pickle slices can be eaten by picking up the pickle on one end with the thumb and index finger, and while balancing it with your other fingers, bring to your mouth and a bite is taken. Do not lift up your head and open your mouth to take a bite with the pickle slice hanging down to your mouth, like a baby chick waiting to swallow a worm from her mother. The pickle is then placed back on your plate until you choose to take another bite.
Even in a casual setting, if you have a knife and fork, you may certainly choose to cut off a bite size piece (or several pieces at a time, but not the entire pickle slice) and bring the bite size piece to your mouth via the fork, times up. If you are eating Continental or European style throughout your meal, you may bring the piece of pickle to your mouth with the tines down. In a formal setting, the pickle should be cut up in a couple of bite size pieces and eaten one piece at a time.
Baked beans
Q. Is it proper to eat baked beans with a teaspoon when the sauce is not thick? Can you use a piece of bread to sop up some of the sauce? Can you use the same teaspoon then for your dessert?
A. Baked beans are eaten with a fork. Using your teaspoon is not an option, nor is asking the hostess for a teaspoon. If you have a roll or piece of bread, you may pull off a bite size piece while holding it over your bread and butter plate. Using your fingers, you then place the bite size piece of bread on the edge of your dinner plate, close to the edge where the baked beans are located. Then pick up your dinner fork and push the piece of bread or roll to the sauce, let it soak up some of the sauce and then slide your fork underneath the piece of bread or roll and bring to your mouth. If there is no bread or roll, the sauce remains on the plate.
Jello
Q. How do you eat plain jello if it is a solid square in a little dish preset on the table to go with your main course? Do you use your salad fork if there is one, a regular dinner fork, or a teaspoon?
A. Jello or jello salad, when served as a part of the main course, is eaten with your salad fork. If there is no salad fork, then you are to use your dinner fork. With the side of the tines of your fork, you may slice off a bite-size piece of the jello, and if the jello has other food items in it which make it more solid, such as shredded carrots, or small pieces of fruit, then slide the tines of the fork under the bite size piece and bring it to your mouth or you may quietly stick (not stab) the tines of your fork into the center of the piece of jello and bring it to your mouth.
If jello is served as a dessert, you may use your teaspoon.
Cake or pie with ice cream
Q. If there is no teaspoon for the ice cream, what do you do? Can you ask the hostess for a teaspoon?
A. If there is only a dessert fork above your place setting, you then use that dessert fork to eat your dessert, including the ice cream. If the dessert is individually served with a dessert fork on the right side of the serving plate, you then use that dessert fork to eat the entire dessert. You do not ask the hostess for a teaspoon. If coffee is served with the dessert and there is a teaspoon on the side of the coffee cup, that teaspoon is to be used to stir your coffee if you add cream or sugar to your coffee. You do not then use that same teaspoon to eat your dessert.
Fatty edges on meat
Q. If you do not like eating the fatty edges on a piece of meat, such as a pork chop, is it proper to cut off the fatty edges.
A. Yes, you may discreetly use your knife and fork to cut off the fatty edges of a pork chop or other piece of meat with fatty edges. You do not, however, cur off all the fatty edges at one time. You cut off the fatty edges of what will be approximately three bite sizes of the meat. After cutting off the edges, you discreetly push them to the right edge of your dinner plate. After you cut three bite size pieces of meat from the pork chop and eat them along with the other items on your plate, you may then, in the same manner as before, remove the fatty edges from three more bite size pieces. You do not, at any time, mention to the hostess or anyone else at the table, the fact that you do not like eating fatty edges.
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 7:00 AM.