Dining Etiquette in America of 1926

 “The day of the Pea Juggler, the Knife Swallower, the Soup Yodeler and Coffee Inhaler and kindred menaces of the restaurant patron’s peace of mind has passed.”

Better American Table Manners? 

From this article and the previous post, 1926 seems to have been a good year for them!

It is reassuring to hear from Harry J. Boekenhoff, president of the National Restaurant Association, that American table manners are improving. “The day of the Pea Juggler, the Knife Swallower, the Soup Yodeler and Coffee Inhaler and kindred menaces of the restaurant patron’s peace of mind has passed,” he says, “Today men pay more attention to the manner in which they partake of their meals. Women always have been more careful than men in such matters, but they, too, have improved.” It comes by practice, he explains. 

“More of us are dining out; and dining in public, under general scrutiny, and with good models to observe, naturally brings refinement in the art of eating. People now order better balanced meals, too.” he says. “They have learned about food values, and eat more sensibly, as well as more genteelly. Thus, little by little, we grow civilized. Eating in public is one of the crucial tests of culture. Eating in private, however, is a still more crucial test. A fellow can’t help wondering whether there is as much improvement at home as in the restaurants. How many men remember their restaurant manners at their own tables, in spite of the pleas of their women-folk?”— San Pedro Pilot, 1926

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia