(no subject)

[bcholmes]

I got into a long conversation about silverware while I was in Portugal last week. When you were growing up, did you learn the way to set your silverware on the plate to indicate that you were done or indicate that you were still eating?

Mirrored from Under the Beret.

Comments

[kalmn]

Why were you in Portugal? Tell me about it!

Also, the way you set your silverware on your plate means something? What? Weird.

[bcholmes]

The two key signals that I learned were these:



One of my breakfast companions stepped away from the table for a bit but left his cutlery in the first position. When the server came by to pick up dirty dishes, I didn't let them take the dish because the silverware was in the "I'm still going to finish this; I'm just taking a break" position. That lead to a whole conversation where it became clear that no one else at the table had ever learned these signals.

[the_siobhan]

I think your reply is missing a line in the middle.

[bcholmes]

Interesting. I put an image in the middle. Is that not loading for you?

[the_siobhan]

Huh. Nope. Not even the little x

[tetsab]

Funky! I'm seeing this: https://blog.bcholmes.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/plates.jpg

(And, of course, forgot to answer that I was taught 'split apart' (typically on an angle) = pause and 'together' = done. (No idea why but I'd also tend to leave them together on an angle for done and not straight down the middle like in this pic but if I was clearing plates it's the together thing that matters less than where they are together on the plate).

[bcholmes]

I have run in to a number of people who learned "fork and knife together, angled with handles at the 4 o'clock position."

[tetsab]

That's super interesting 'cause I do not remember being told any place to put the 'together' utensils but I must have just picked up that they seem to be on an angle and so would have imitated that. Then they would more likely than not end up around 4 / 5 just because I'm right-handed so more likely to be on the right and also more likely for the handles to be toward me than not.

[kalmn]

Huh. I did not know anything about handles at a certain clock position, but I do "top of utensils on plate if you're still eating" and "utensils set across the plate if you're done". The first so you don't get the table dirty, and you only put the utensils across the plate if you're done because why would you put the handles of the utensils in your food?