Where IS Your Mother?

Over the years, there have been occasions when I too, have been invited to an evening event that is based around a fabulous meal, and as I glance down at the lavishly designed meal space that has been reserved in my honor, zeroing in on all of the shinny forks, knives and spoons looking back at me as they lay perfectly placed to the left, the right and above the plate, it does happen! For one split moment, the blood rushes to my head, my heart drops into my stomach, my breathing comes to a sudden halt and I feel a blanket of sheer panic taking over. My first response is to immediately reach for my wine glass and after taking a very large, but lady like gulp, the recorder in my mind saves the day, kicking back into my memory bank, on a lesson learned long ago, and I see my wonderful Greek grandmother standing before me, calmly saying… Begin with the outer and work your way inner. As for the ones at the top of your plate, finish your meal then use after dinner. This is a true story, a bit corny, but still true… Now, please keep in mind that my sweet grandmother’s English was less than perfect. In fact in the sixty plus years she lived as an American citizen of the United States, she never did master the Queen’s English. And as a result, this bit of wisdom was not presented in the most eloquent or proper of ways or even offered in full sentences for that matter. But the words were spoken by a true lady and the matriarch of our family, received loud and clear and understood perfectly by everyone that heard them. Most of all, it made total and complete sense! It was a lesson in table manners and the proper use of silverware that was taught to me as a child, then passed down to my children and is now being taught to my grandchildren. A lesson that I have reflected back on time and again; a safety net so to speak, that over the years, has been a comfort for my entire family whenever we see shinny pieces of silverware taking over our meal space… anywhere and anytime. The point is that no matter how the message is presented in this lesson on table manners, the bottom line is that there IS a proper order of use and a proper placement in your meal space, for each and every eating utensil. And as long as the lesson is learned by those it is presented to, the words of the lesson can be whatever you wish, because the meaning always remains the same.