Thursday, August 31, 2023

Medieval Knives: Utensils vs Weapons

  A French book of instruction for college students advised the person in charge of the dining hall to say at the start of each meal, "Every man draw his knife!" and at the end of the meal, "Every man clean his knife and replace it in his sheath!" That way no knives would be left lying around the table when not in use.”~ Image source, Pinterest

Because knives in the Middle Ages had sharp points and could be used as weapons as well as utensils, firm rules developed about the way they were handled during meals. A French book of instruction for college students advised the person in charge of the dining hall to say at the start of each meal, "Every man draw his knife!" and at the end of the meal, "Every man clean his knife and replace it in his sheath!" That way no knives would be left lying around the table when not in use.

Other rules said that a knife should always be placed on the table with the sharp edge facing in toward the diner rather than out toward his neighbor. It should never be lifted from the table during courses when it wasn't needed. And if it were offered to someone else, the knife should be held by the point instead of the handle so that it wouldn't seem threatening. – From James Cross Giblin’s book, “From Hand to Mouth”, 1987


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

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Etiquette According to Hollywood

Join our Free Webinar on Etiquette!




  🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬🎥🎬
Event Description


For over a century, motion pictures have enthralled, entertained and educated audiences around the world. Famous lines from hit movies, can immediately transport one back to the theater, to when they first heard the immortal words. “I’m the king of the world!”… “There’s no place like home.”… “ I’ll be back.”… “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”… “ “Here’s looking at you, kid.” “ Houston, we have a problem.”… "I have a head for business and a bod for sin."…  


All have resonated with movie audiences and pop culture for decades after the movies first played. Manners and mannerisms too, along with “etiquette lessons” seen in films, have affected pop-culture and moviegoers. I know this, due to the fact that so many of my etiquette class students over the last 33 years, young and old, have mentioned scenes from movies that left lasting impressions on them. 

The movies are numerous. In this webinar, we will be covering many of them. Which motion pictures got the manners just right? Which motion pictures got the manners wrong? Which motion pictures should have steered clear of teaching manners to the theater going public? Which movies equated good manners with snobbery? Which movies made etiquette appear necessary for a civil society to thrive? 

We will cover the films that have tickled us with their style in slyly teaching proper manners and mannerisms. We will cover the films which really got things muddled and were anything but helpful in teaching the theater going public that learning manners can be fun. 

From delightful to dreadful, and back to delightful again, we are going to discuss these motion pictures, which have most stuck with us while entertaining us at the same time. Sit back, grab your popcorn and enjoy our visit to the movies. No 3-D glasses will be required!
📼🎥📼🎥📼🎥📼🎥📼

Some of what we will be discussing…

Part 1: Confusing Utensils in Films 
Part 2: Confusing Place Settings in Films 
Part 3: Unusual Foods in Films 
Part 4: Place Settings in Films 
Part 5: Poor Table Manners 
Part 6: Etiquette Lessons in Films 


When is this event happening?

The event will be on via Zoom, Saturday, 23rd September 2023, 4 pm - 5 pm, Pacific Standard Time, (PST, California USA).


Will I be able to watch the event at another time?

We are recording the event and posting it via YouTube.  You can watch our last event.


As a beginner, is this event suitable for me?

Beginners are welcome, and we hope that you enjoy the event.

 

How much is the event?

This event is free.


Do you accept tips? 

We have been asked if we accept tips.  The answer to that is yes, we do.  If you enjoy the information given, you are welcome to tip today.


Questions can be sent to the Administrator prior to the event and during the presentation. 


19th Maura will answer as many as possible in the Question & Answer session following the presentation.     


Please email your questions to: theetiquettechannel@gmail.com


Link to the Free Webinar –– https://events.humanitix.com/dining-according-to-hollywood-the-art-of-dining-on-film


Gif's, video and photos credits: 20th Century Studios, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures, 21st Century Fox, CBS Media, Viacom, CBS Studios, Columbia Pictures, ITV, Focus Features, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Canva

  

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