Ellen
Full Member
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.'Edgar Degas'
Posts: 193
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Post by Ellen on Jul 24, 2008 18:20:37 GMT -5
I can't answer for the rest of the European countries, but being brought up first in the UK then in Ireland, I was always told that you don't shovel the spoon into the bowl, you gently glide the spoon into the soup from the edge facing away from you , then bring the spoon halfway up while bending your head just a little. No slurping either. We break our bread rolls with our hands and if we wish to dip, then that's acceptable too. I have never had soup in Paris though.  lol! guys this thread is making me smile and bring back memories to my nans house when we went for dinner. My mam would give hours before we went telling us how we should behave. Under no circumstance my mam would say were we to eat with our fingers, knife and fork in hands at all times. My nan used to take me to one side and whisper to me, ''fingers were made before forks, when your mam leaves the table , go on, dig in!''. You know to this day I never told my mam, it was me and my nans little secret. I used to enjoy pickin up my slice of roast beef in my hands, too much effort to cut it sometimes. Aah! my nan was sweet. Sorry for going off on a nostalgic visit. Do people really notice though if it's not done correctly? Are people not too busy just enjoying their own meal? |
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Post by Truffaut on Jul 24, 2008 18:25:23 GMT -5
Do people really notice though if it's not done correctly? Are people not too busy just enjoying their own meal? Of all the reasons I can possibly think of that might cause me to worry about a trip to Paris, how I hold my fork doesn't even make the list! If it's easy for you to switch habits, it might be nice to try to blend in as much as possible, but the main thing is to RELAX and enjoy your trip.  |
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Post by mez on Jul 24, 2008 19:06:42 GMT -5
^^ I agree. Just eat, drink and be happy!  I think I was surprised when I read it here because I was in New York last year I don't recall anyone doing the fork switching business. |
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Post by geordy on Jul 24, 2008 19:52:06 GMT -5
Most Americans do do the fork switching thing. The thing is Mez..that when dining out in NYC..many folks in restaurants are not Americans or they are New Yorkers(or other frequent flyers) who have traveled and picked up the "European" or "other" way. I pretty much eat that way now..unless the dish makes more sense to me the "North American" way!
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Post by GitteK on Jul 25, 2008 1:03:39 GMT -5
Penny, the "fine dining" way of eating with a spoon is:
Hold you spoon parallel to your mouth (lengthwise) and then delicately pour the soup in between your lips. There is NO sticking the spoon into your mouth, perpendicularly.
That is one "fine dining" thing I have never grown accustomed to, I'm afraid. And I hardly ever see it practiced, but then again I do not move in upper circles, so that's maybe the explanation.
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Post by Shoesy on Jul 25, 2008 4:54:53 GMT -5
Living in Israel over 35 years has converted me into a non-fork- switcher, but I defnitely remember the old days when both my hands took turns holding the fork. I definitely prefer keeping the fork in my left hand, but it doesn't bother me watching someone else eat the American way.  |
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Post by Jody on Jul 25, 2008 5:41:33 GMT -5
Both David and I eat European fashion, since both our mothers ate that way. His English mother and my German mother taught us that way. His mother even made him eat all fruits with a knife and fork, even bananas! He doesn't do that anymore!!
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Post by mez on Jul 25, 2008 6:11:07 GMT -5
His mother even made him eat all fruits with a knife and fork, even bananas! How do you eat a banana with a knife & fork anyway? |
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Post by GitteK on Jul 25, 2008 7:02:01 GMT -5
mez: I even have a colleague who is sooooooo prissy and squeamish about getting her fingers smeared  that she NEVER touches her food, if she can help it. She even eats PASTRY with knife and fork !! Voilà un pastry danois for you. Called a "Spandauer" - comes in 2 versions: one with jam, like this one, and one with vanilla custard  And of course it should be eaten with your fingers, in the messiest way possible ;D and preferably in the car on your way to work. Whatever you eat in your car is non-fattening, because the calories can't stick on to you when the automobile is moving !   |
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Post by sandy on Jul 25, 2008 7:14:02 GMT -5
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Post by sunshine817 on Jul 25, 2008 7:18:20 GMT -5
Gitte, if you break it half, even more of the calories fall out!  |
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Post by sunshine817 on Jul 25, 2008 7:26:30 GMT -5
I eat my peas with honey,
I've done it all my life.
It does taste kinda funny,
But it keeps them on the knife!
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Post by Jody on Jul 25, 2008 7:30:20 GMT -5
You peel it and cut it. She always told him only monkeys held them in their hands!
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Post by Sandy M on Jul 25, 2008 9:49:13 GMT -5
Hi Gitte,
That is one delicious looking Danish - makes me want to come to Denmark to have one!! And of course, I will eat it in the car - in fact with no calories, I could probably have two!
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Post by geordy on Jul 27, 2008 7:18:51 GMT -5
Growing up in New Jersey any pastry that was cake like..and not requiring refrigeration..like eclairs or napoleons(as they are known here)..the only 2 French pastries around here then .....were referred to as "Danish" If folks were coming over you'd get some "Danish" or they'd bring some "Danish"! What a thrill for my sister and I to have a whole table full of real ones to choose from our first breakfast at our hotel in Copenhagen! And yes Gitte,,as well as cheeses and meats, sausages, breads etc. But we'd come from Amsterdam where we'd had plenty of that so the "Danish" were the star of breakfast! |
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that she NEVER touches her food, if she can help it. She even eats PASTRY with knife and fork !! 
And of course it should be eaten with your fingers, in the messiest way possible ;D and preferably in the car on your way to work. Whatever you eat in your car is non-fattening, because the calories can't stick on to you when the automobile is moving ! 
hahahha