Plates of All Shapes: From Paper to China, the Ultimate Showdown!
Let's talk about manners!
With summer finally here, temperatures start to heat up, and we begin wearing shorts and flip-flops again. Additionally, disposable cups, plates, and other easily disposable paraphernalia become the norm. This single action of paper product usage has single-handedly ended manners as we know it!
Now that I have your attention let's spend a minute discussing our dining experiences.
Let's first start with a question. Do you believe that using fine China daily elevates your dining experience and teaches us to be more mindful of our table manners?
Growing up, the answer for us would have been an emphatic "no." Not only because we didn't have fine China dishes, but meals were a means to an end, a full tummy. Now that doesn't mean we were without manners. We still learned not to put our elbows on the table, never to talk with our mouths full, and we even knew what side the fork, spoon, and knife belonged to.
Every family is unique, so as a grandparent, you may discover that how you raised your child differs significantly from your kid's choice of dining etiquette rules for your grandkids.
As an adult, I was shocked to find out that my cousins, who only live a few miles from me, had such a different dining experience compared to mine.
Their household used fine China instead of Melmac plates for all meals regardless of special or regular dining occasions. Not only were plates breakable and hand-washed every day, but the fancy glassware and complete silverware were laid out, including more than the three utensils of my youth. In addition, "dressing for dinner" was an expectation.
Did I feel like I missed an opportunity? Nope. We went to their house every Thanksgiving and had that "experience." Pretty dresses, linen napkins, and the fear of breaking their fine China is the memory I have. If there was a manners lesson served up, I missed it.
As an adult, I ultimately learned to eat seamlessly with all the fine dinnerware and to "dress up" appropriately. Whenever I have that opportunity, I think of my aunt and her focus on using proper utensils, setting the table just right, and everything in between. I still worry I might break something.
Dining etiquette choices…not necessarily right, just right for them.
Don't fret if formal dining seems daunting during summer! Even simpler paper plate etiquette will show good manners if used along with polite phrases such as please and thank you, placing a napkin on a lap, and not talking with their mouth full. Every meal gives us an opportunity to demonstrate proper dining etiquette and consideration towards those present, regardless of whether we use fancy dinnerware or not.
Let's make every meal a great opportunity to practice manners and show respect to those around us…with or without fine China.
In case you didn't know, Melmac refers to a type of dinnerware produced from Melamine resin, an environmentally friendly plastic material that was trendy during the latter part of the 1960s.
