On Manners and Table Customs

“The flesh of the hog, unless as ham, finds its way to few fashionable tables; and as there are many persons with strong aversions to the animal, besides Jews and Mohammedans, it is best to dispense with it as much as possible.” – Above : Two lovely Victorian serving pieces – A sterling bacon serving fork and a gilded sterling waffle server. No one would bat an eye if the bacon serving fork was used to serve “fakin’” or “facon”, a popular nickname for the numerous vegan bacon brands available to consumers now .

We shall give a few observations on eating, and the manners and customs of the table:

There is a certain fitness and character to be observed respecting what you eat. Coarse people are coarse livers. Refined people eat delicately. We do not expect a lady to eat beefsteak and onions, washed down with beer or porter. She will scarcely eat pork or drink whiskey. 

The flesh of the hog, unless as ham, finds its way to few fashionable tables; and as there are many persons with strong aversions to the animal, besides Jews and Mohammedans, it is best to dispense with it as much as possible. 

The most refined people I know dispense with the flesh of animals entirely, from esthetic, moral, and hygienic considerations. But, as I am not writing a work on physiology or dietetics, I will not discuss the point. —From “The Illustrated Manual of Good Behavior and Polite Accomplishments,” 1855

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