Manners of a Pea Eating Champ

Move over, Nathan’s! It wasn’t those New York famous hot dogs which were being eaten competitively in the early 20th century. Bad manners were also on display, with a twist (or should I say, ‘a slit’?) in this competition. In 1929, on the West Coast, one Ruth Keller was the winner of a competition of eating peas with a knife! The knives all had a special slit down the middle to help speed things along. 

 

Why Peas Leave Pod

Why they leave their plate via the knife route was demonstrated by Ruth Keller, who is the champion of California when it comes to consuming the little vegetables with only a knife as a weapon. She won the state title in competition with other girls.– A. P. photo.

Girl Proves Champion at Eating Peas With Knife

LA CRESCENTA, Dec. 28.– Eating peas with a knife, like drinking coffee with a spoon in the cup, is admittedly poor table manners. But because Ruth Keller of this town excelled at the first-named social ban, she is wearing a medal today as the fastest green pea eater in California. In competition with other pretty maidens, Miss Keller sat down to a festive board here recently with a huge bowl of the elusive little vegetables in front of her, and only a knife as a weapon. Everybody started off at a given signal. 

A safety pea knife with a slit down the middle, as advertised in the late 1920’s 

The only advantage possessed by the contestants over the ordinary individual who likes his peas on a knife, was that the blades used by the girls had a slit down the center. The theory of this stroke of mechanical genius, displayed by one of the contest managers, was that the peas would stick in the slit and slide down easier into the mouth. Miss Keller consumed her peas in amazingly short time. True, they skipped and staggered and skidded about on the knife, but even the most unruly pea finally succumbed to the girl's sense of balance and followed its more tractable predecessors, until all had disappeared. - Oakland Tribune, 1929

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

Knife Etiquette is Contrary to Mission

“I have seen, I say, the Hereditary Princess of Potzausend - Donnerwetter (that serenely beautiful woman), use her knife in lieu of a fork or spoon; I have seen her almost swallow it, by Jove! Like Ramon Samee, the Indian juggler. And I did not blench. Did my estimation of the Princess diminish? No, lovely Amelia! It is not snobbish of persons of rank or of any other nation to employ their knives in the manner alluded to.” 

The Table Knife’s Mission... 

or 

First Aid to Hungry Men

After recounting his sad estrangement from Mrs. Marrowfat, following the “atrocious’’ consumption of a dish of peas with his knife, the great historian of the snobs goes on to explain as follows, that snobbery is a purely relative thing that, in short, what is beastly bad manners in a mere English gentleman is quite proper, not to say commendable, in persons of rank and riches, particularly of other nationalities: 

“I have seen, I say, the Hereditary Princess of Potzausend - Donnerwetter (that serenely beautiful woman), use her knife in lieu of a fork or spoon; I have seen her almost swallow it, by Jove! Like Ramon Samee, the Indian juggler. And I did not blench. Did my estimation of the Princess diminish? No, lovely Amelia! It is not snobbish of persons of rank or of any other nation to employ their knives in the manner alluded to.” 

The recalling of this dramatic episode in the history of table manners is suggested by the crusade started by a metropolitan paper of the Effete East in favor of a return to knife-eating. The practice is, it declares, harmless; shows personal bravery and steadiness of hand; gives the onlooker a saluibrious thrill, and offends no one but the “social purist.” Wherefore, then, should it be condemned; and banished from the table of the well-to-do? 

Obviously there is no reason for the rule now, but custom and habit born of an empiric mandate laid down by some past archon of the table. It may have arisen in days when but one knife was provided for each diner, and this was dipped, as occasion demanded, in the single butter plate at the center of the table. Under such conditions, there was something to be said from a sanitary point of view against using one’s knife as a shovel. 

But nowadays, when a separate set of tools is provided for every particular gustatory operation; when the soup, fish, meats, vegetables, salads, pie, and other edibles are ladled, spitted and anatomized by a case of instruments almost as varied and numerous as those used by a surgeon in short, the tools of individual feeding not only never touch the food consumed by others, but are carefully kept from contact with the preceding and succeeding courses, the taboo on knife eating seems absurd. It appears to us that individual preference and convenience should be allowed to determine the question. 

Persons dexterous enough safely to eat with their knives and finding this method of loading more expeditious than that prescribed by custom, should be at liberty to do so without any implication of vulgarity or ill-breeding. The question is one of expedience and convenience—nothing more. Most of us have seen knife eating in all its unique processes in the restaurants about town, and while most of us have always tried to adhere to the correct table manners our mothers so carefully taught us, really it is a source of no little interest and amusement to watch some industrious individual at the other table over yonder shamelessly working away with his knife, while the fork rests idly in the other hand. However, let that individual always be seen over yonder at the other table.— Sacramento Union, 1908

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

Etiquette and Eating from Knives

A 19th century fork and knife set, featuring steel tines on the fork and a wide, dull and flat steel knife blade. Many who were unfamiliar with utensils and their expected dining usage, found this type of knife blade ideal for not just cutting with, but eating from.

Unlike contemporary table knives, those of the 18th and 19th century had dull and wide, flat blades. Usually they were steel. Many who were unfamiliar with utensils and their expected dining usage, found the knives ideal for not just cutting with, but for eating from. By the mid-1800’s, etiquette books encouraged diners to stop the practice of eating their food from their knives. As etiquette books are often ignored, small numbers of several generations continued the practice. 

A most popular food with which to show off one’s knife dining skills was peas. Many people practiced lining peas carefully upon a steel knife blade, to “pour” into their mouths, much to the chagrin of spouses and parents. A few uncouth, but industrious people even invented and designed special, “pea knives.” It took, as gentle reminders, repeated news and magazine articles over the years to finally get the practice all but abandoned. Two such articles are below:

Eating With a Knife is Not Insanity

LOS ANGELES, Mar. 4 (AP)—Eating with a knife is not insanity. Mrs. Kathryn Brown contended it was, in contesting the will of her sister, Mrs. Margaret Dillon, who left her $25,000 estate to her 12-year-old grand niece, Margaret Keating, of New York. Mrs. Brown testified Mrs. Dillon, although well reared, had been eating with a knife and suffered from a delusion that she was an experienced driver, despite the fact that she owned no car. A superior court jury yesterday found Mrs. Dillon was not insane and upheld the terms of her will. — San Pedro Pilot News, 1931

Gossip of Railwayman

Frederick Shoup of the Passenger Department of the Southern Pacific is a man of many parts. He is not only said to be good looking, but has so persuasive a tongue that it would enable him to sell gold bricks, even to Hetty Green. “Etiquette and table manners are all based on common sense,” remarked Frederick to Charles Burkhalter and John Ross, with whom he was dining at Fresno. “For instance, the reason why a man does not eat with his knife is because he is afraid of cutting his lips.”  “Well, that is true,” replied Burkhalter, as he lifted the duck on which Shoup was feasting from Fred’s plate to his own.  “You see how simple it is.” Shoup rambled on, “Why don't we use a fork for our, soup? Why? Because the fork I could not scoop up enough of the soup.” “Well that is an idea,” observed John Ross, the great chocolate expert, as he appropriated Fred’s vegetables. “Everything is based on common sense,” continued the orator. “Why do we have napkins?” “Why?” asked Burkhalter, as he emptied Fred’s pint of Chianti. “To remove the stains of food from our fingers and mouths.” “Well, are you through talking?” said Burkhalter. “It is time to get to work.” “Work,” shouted Shoup, “why, man, I have had nothing to eat.” — San Francisco Call, 1908

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

Etiquette's Knife for Peas

The knife and fork combination utensil on left, and the spatulate knife, at right,  some say are lacking the beauty of the modern knife of sterling with which they are compared.

Eating Peas with a Knife 
There Was a Day, Long Before Sterling Silver and Etiquette Books, When the Practice Was Condoned

LONG before the days of books on etiquette and elaborate sterling silver services—in the 15th century to be exact—there was a curiously constructed knife which was recommended "for the eatinge of pease and jelleys.” It had a broad or spatulate end opposite the cutting edge and was considered excellent form in the days when the first requirement of politeness was to “smack thy lips resoundingly if thou would show due appreciation to thy host.”

The evolution of knives, their origin as implements of the hunt to the graceful sterling dining utensils of today, shows several interesting variations. Thus, a point was reached in the development when a set of three knives set in a scabbard was a smart thing for the young man about Venice. These knives, of steel and sterling silver performed successively the three functions of slaughtering, cutting up and conveying the meat to the mouth.

As city life developed and the diner became more remote from his food in its natural condition, the scabbard came to contain only one knife, or a knife and spoon. A 17th century novelty was the combination knife and fork which, though doubtless of enormity, must have required marvelous skill in manipulating. —Madera Tribune, 1928

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