European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 27, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine the evolution of adequate etiquette mind Over manners by Marynett staff writer he a y arrives. The family gathers. The table groans with the traditional festive dishes. For most american children thanksgiving is a wonderful Holiday. All those Lovely Aromas waiting from the Kitchen. All that glorious food Golden stuffed Turkey candied Sweet potatoes marshmallow loaded fruit salads. Generally Only Ono thing tarnishes the All around glow of Well being the constant reminder that it s also a Day to be on one s Best manners. Sharp eyed aunt Tilly a stickler Tor proper etiquette is going to be present and so will grandma try who has very definite ideas on How youngsters should behave. There is an unending Litany of admonishments Don t talk with your Mouth full. Keep your Toft hand on your Lap. Don t reach Lor things. Use the proper Fork the proper spoon. Wipe your Mouth daintily. Keep your elbows in. Don t Slouch. It to As though think the kids they Are supposed to behave like Royalty in some sort of Castle. Well for aunt Tilly s Sake let s not put that Castle Back in the medieval period of Europe. True it is torn there that today s table manners originated but by modern standards the Feudal lords of old were not exactly refined. You get a pretty Good idea of just How unrefined they were if you read a treatise by the philosopher Erasmus written in the 16th Century. The Book on civility in children was a Best seller in its Day reprinted More than 30 limes after it first appeared. Manir by the time of Erasmus you understand had already taken a move toward greater civility. People no longer All ate from the same dish and drank from the same Goblet. A few tips on Good manners from Erasmus Don t put chewed food from the Mouth Back on the plate instead throw it under the table or behind your chair. If you want to distinguish yourself As a member of the upper class put Only three lingers into your bowl not your whole fist. And wait a Tew minutes after being sealed Belore you dip in. Don t poke around in your dish but take the first piece you touch. Erasmus code of etiquette May seem outlandish today but before the 16th Century even Feudal lords used their unwashed hands to scoop Lood from a common bowl. True a Finger would occasionally be held out so it would not become Greasy. But the was to keep it clean Tor subsequent dips into the spices and condiments. Bowls of soup and sauces were listed to the Mouth. Even lords and Nobles blew their noses on the Tablecloth spit on the table and tossed gnawed Bones Back into the common dish. Not that dining did t have social Sugni licence in England in fact dining was one of the ways open Lor moving up the social ladder. Most of the knights began their careers serving food in the medieval courts. Each petition had its own title and rank. The highest was that of the Carver who not Only had to know How to handle All sorts of butchering utensils but who in the court pecking order got served first and what. The kidney of a Fawn was considered a top delicacy for example and the lord of the Castle always got the left Wing of the Capon. Another important person in food service was the Panter. The title came from French word or bread pain. It was his Job to smooth he edges of the trenchers the hard squares of bread that served As plates. Meat was heaped on the trenchers and Hearty eaters therefore gained the name of trencher men. Today we think of a Butler As a Diston quashed head servant of an impeccable household. Then he was just the fellow in charge of the Butts or casks of wine and ale. Though manners As we know them today were wednesday november 27, 1985 sketchy food at these Knightly gatherings was in abundance. Having a lot to eat after All. Was the True sign of status. While the peasants were out there making do with watery Gruel the Nobles were gorging themselves by the fistful. Menus Lor Royal banquets in the 15th Century list As Many As 40 dishes. You were really in if invited since members of the lower classes were not even allowed to look at what was being served to their superiors. It is Eay to gel an idea of what dining tables looked like Belore the 17h Century. Visit an Art gallery and look at paintings from those times that depict meals the wedding at Cana the last supper or Herod s least. The artists of the 1600s depicted Able sellings As used in their Day not As by the apostles of course. The settings included knives and the tin disks or Oval pieces of Wood that had replaced the earlier bread plates. It was t until about the end of the Middle Ages that the Fork appeared. With ii europeans were finally Able to separate themselves from the eating process. The first Forks though were mainly used for lifting chunks of meal from the common bowl. After the arrival of the Fork More and More table utensils were added. In fact Belore the modern table setting came Inlo Standard use. There were different shaped spoons and Forks and knives and ladles Tor about every Type of food served. By the 1800s. Individual napkins also had arrived. At first they were wrapped around the neck. Later they made their Way to the Lap. Coffee and Tea were no longer slurped out of the Saucer and bread was Gente Elly broken into Small pieces. Children of today continually reminded to mind their manners can take some Consolation though. Etiquette might have been Laxar in the castles of old. But the food left a lot to be desired too. There was no Turkey no candied yams no Sweet salads. The stars and stripes Page 13