UPTOURIST

I have to admit that I think dining etiquette is a bunch of rubbish!

Sure, don’t talk with your mouthful, close your mouth while you eat, don’t shovel your meal down like someone who hasn’t eaten for a week…

What I don’t get is how one can be labeled as lacking in sophistication because of how they hold their fork, including what hand you use. Or having to mix your veggies and other sides with meat in each forkful to avoid being labeled as someone with an unrefined palette, etc.

Europeans sure have their own way of eating, particularly as you move into the posh eating establishments. I remember my first experience with cultural eating differences between Euros and Americans when eating at an upscale restaurant called Berner’s Tavern in London a few years back.

I was eating like any typical uncultured traveler, holding my fork like the lady is in the screenshot for the video down below. My companion, who was an upscale posher from the city politely informed me that I was eating like a barbarian! I had a laugh, but she was acting rather serious and soon gave me a lesson on how to eat “European Style.”

Here’s a few tips if you plan to travel and eat out in European restaurants.

I don’t know. I find the video informing and amusing at the same time. Just keep the tips in mind for future reference. Just don’t let it turn you into a foodie snob!

 

Main image by Simon Pielow