Being from the South we were taught manners from the moment we came into this world. Things like yes m'am, no sir, please, thank you and how to sit at the kitchen table and consume a meal in a pleasing way were part of our everyday life. I drove my parents and my brother crazy because I was like the table manners police; 'mom he's smacking his food', 'mom stuff is falling out of his mouth', he is talking with food in his mouth' etc. and on and on.
Due to my daddy's business we traveled and lived all over the world. We dined with dignitaries, were invited to dinner parties and mom did her fair share of entertaining so good manners were EXPECTED of my brother and me.
My girls were also taught how to sit at a table and eat a meal, how to cut the meat on their plates, the yes m'am no sir was difficult to maintain because it is not the norm here in Kansas.
Last week hubby and I were at one of our favorite semi-healthy restaurants for supper. Before the waitress even came to take our drink order I started hearing this horrible screeching sound and noticed that it was a grown man cutting whatever piece of meat he had on his plate. He has his fork stabbed down in to the slab of meat, holding the handle of the fork like a stake with the other hand he was sawing back and forth causing the tines of the fork to scrape across the plate. Then with the same death grip on his fork he shoved the hunk of meat in his mouth.
In the salad bar line I was behind a young woman who was picking food out of the salad bar containers with her freaking fingers. Yes, I did say something to her and pointed out the various utensils that were in place for grabbing the food toppings then I got a waiter to change out the containers I saw her poking her fingers in. If that was not gross enough she was licking her fingers as she went. GGGAAAGGG!
So I sit down with my salad and notice this young woman sitting at a nearby table with either her parents or grandparents.... she has her phone on the table and texting with one hand and her other arm is forearm on the table, holding the fork and shoving food in to her pie hole. The 'adults' are just sitting across from her smiling, not talking to her or each other.
I don't know about you but if I am out to a meal with someone, or anywhere actually, and they are texting or talking incessantly on their cell phone I tell them that I am put off by their actions. My girls know better than to do this other than a very short phone call or brief text.
I think that this whole lack of table manners comes from not sitting down to a meal as a family. Kids are not taught how to properly cut a piece of meat, use a napkin, not lean over their plate and shovel food in. I think if a family cannot have at least one meal together sitting at the table then send the kids to an etiquette class where they can learn proper table manners.
What is going to happen when they are in the working world and attend 'power lunches' or have meals with business associates or potential clients? This is a fixable problem but like many issues having to do with kids today, the adults get lax and lazy.
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