Moslem Toothpick Etiquette

Ornate Victorian Era Toothpick ~ Throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, ornate and bejeweled toothpicks were popular throughout the world, especially with the United Kingdom's upper classes.

Moslem Etiquette

All true Moslems when eating must begin with salt and finish with vinegar. If they begin with salt, they will escape the contagion of seventy diseases. If they finish with vinegar, their worldly prosperity will continue to increase. The host is in etiquette bound to be the first to start eating and the last to leave off. Tooth picking Is considered an act of grace in the true Moslem, for the angel Gabriel is reported to have brought a tooth pick from heaven for the prophet at every meal. The priests recite certain passages of the Koran before and after lunch and dinner, and also before drinking water at any hour of the day. — The Mariposa Gazette, 1903

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

Moroccan Dining Etiquette

A "diffa" is an Arabic reception or banquet. General Mark Clark and Caid El Ayadi dining in 1943

"Morocco Etiquette"

General Mark Clark, head of United States forces in Morocco, is eating with his fingers at the great diffa, or feast, given by the rich, Caid El Ayadi, on the occasion of a wolf hunt. General Clark and his staff enjoyed the diffa immensely. — 
As reported in The Enterprise and Scimitar, May 1943

Dining in the Middle East

To avoid making your hosts feel uncomfortable, there are a few simple guidelines to follow.

• Bring a small gift of flowers, chocolates, pastries, fruit or honey.
• It’s polite to be seen to wash your hands before a meal.
• Always remove your shoes before sitting down on a rug to eat or drink tea.
• Don’t sit with your legs stretched out – it’s considered rude during a meal.
• Always sit next to a person of the same sex at the dinner table unless your host(ess) suggests otherwise.
• Use only your right hand for eating or accepting food.
• When the meal begins, accept as much food as is offered to you. If you say ‘no thanks’ continually, it can offend the host.
• It’s good manners to leave a little food on your plate at the end of the meal: traditionally, a clean plate was thought to invite famine. It can also suggest to your host that they haven't fed you sufficiently.
• Your host will often lay the tastiest morsels in front of you; it’s polite to accept them.
• The best part – such as the meat – is usually saved until last, so don’t take it until offered.

Etiquette Advce from Lonely Planet.com

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

Etiquette of the Persian Shah

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar was the Shah of Iran from 1896 to 1907 — Though knives, forks and spoons were commonly used in Western Europe and the United States by 1900, they were still relatively "new" when one looks back in time. But people forget history quickly, as forks for dining originated in the Middle East, and they weren't in wide use in Western Europe until the late 1600s - early 1700s. So to the "Western World," the Shah eating with his fingers, was worthy of a headlne.

 “Eats with His Fingers”

John Foster Fraser made the acquaintance of the Shah of Persia during his now historical cycle ride around the world. Of this great potentate's personality Mr. Fraser writes: "He rises early, performs his devotions, has a piece of thin, pasty Persian bread and a glass of sweetened tea. Then at about 8 o'clock, he receives his ministers. 

He is slovenly in habit and walks up and down the room with his slippers flip-flapping; indeed, the story goes that the reason he parted with his first wife was because she constantly complained he did not wash himself. He dictates dozens of letters, hears dispatches read, consults authorities, attends minutely to every detail of business. This continues for six hours at a stretch. 

"Then he has his breakfast. All the food is carefully prepared, and a Prince of the Royal house is responsible that no tricks are played. Every dish as it is sent from the kitchen is sealed, and the seals are broken in the Shah's presence. The Shah, according to etiquette, eats alone. Formerly he squatted and ate from a big tray placed on the floor. But since coming to Teheran he has been persuaded to sit on a mattress and eat from a table about a foot high. At first a chintz cloth was on the table, but he was told it would be much nicer if he had a white cloth, and so a white cloth is now used. 

Between 50 and 60 dishes are served, but his Majesty only touches two or three. "First he will eat greased rice, followed possibly by a chicken or some grilled morsels of mutton laid between two sheets of thin bread; and then, as dessert, maybe a citron in syrup, quite the ordinary Persian fare. 

Knives and forks are are things unknown at court, and the Shah eats everything with his fingers—greased rice, mutton and fruit. At his breakfast, extracts from European papers, chiefly French, are read to the Shah. He takes a keen interest in European politics, and frequently in conversation about his own government he will ask: 'Now, what would the Queen of England do in such a case?'" — From The Los Angeles Herald, 1900

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