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Etiquette
at Buffet
Some "Food for thought"
while discussing "Thoughts of Food".
Why do many restaurants
insist that you take a new plate every time you go thru a
buffet line?
Isn't
it actually increasing the restaurant's dish-washing load?
Okay, I don't
know about other States, but in our Illinois State, it's the
law. Illinois Dept of Public Health explains: "You pick
up your first load of grub from the buffet and sit down to
eat. As you transfer food in one direction from plate to mouth,
you are also transferring germs in the other direction, from
mouth to plate, on your eating utensils. If you then take
that plate back to the buffet, the reasoning goes that you
will then transfer said germs from the plate to the holding
pan full of food on the buffet line by means of the serving
spoons, tongs etc."
Washington
D.C, as far as I know, also requires a clean plate
for each trip thru a buffet line and for the identical reasons
as Illinois. New York city has no such rule but the custom/tradition
very much prevails there too.
On a lighter
note, one can hog as much as one wants without embarrassment
because, others in queue will think you are joining afresh
even though it's your Nth helping :-)
Sneeze - God Bless
You!.... How or why did saying "God bless you" become
associated as an expression one says to another after a sneeze?
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Is it
because
1. When
someone sneezes his heart stops, and saying "God
bless you" means "I'm glad your heart started
again." ?
2. Saying "God bless you" when you sneeze
keeps the devil from flying down your throat ?
3. When you sneeze your soul tries to escape and saying
"God bless you" crams it back in ?
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The Pope Story
The custom
of saying "God bless you" after a sneeze was begun
literally as a blessing. No sooner Pope Gregory the Great
(540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy than the start of the
sixth century devastating plague in Italy. Gregory called
for litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's help
and intercession. Columns marched through the streets chanting,
"Kyrie Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy").
When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God
bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently
develop the plague. All that prayer apparently worked, judging
by how quickly the plague of 590 AD diminished.
The connection
of sneezing to the plague is not the first association of
sneezing with death. Many cultures, even some in Europe, believe
that sneezing expels the soul (breath of life) from the body.
That doesn't seem too far-fetched when you realize that sneezing
can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to
100 miles per hour! No speeding ticket, no "Mama"
there :-)
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We know
today, of course, that when we sneeze, our heart doesn't
stop, nor will our eyes pop out if we can keep them
open, nor does our soul get expelled. What does get
expelled are hundreds and thousands of microscopic germs.
Best advice when you sneeze is to cover your mouth with
your arm rather than your hand. That way, all those
germs won't be on your hands when you touch the countless
things you're going to touch in the course of the day.
And lastly,
what if the entire population of US sneezes simultaneously?
Well,
then it's the now-very-popular-and-famous "GOD
BLESS AMERICA" !!!
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Links
of interest:
- Basic
Essentials of Dinner Table Etiquette
- Formal
Dinner Etiquette: The formal dineer never begins before
seven o'clock; the time usually is eight or eight-thirty.
It is very discourteous for a guest to be late. Arrive at
least five minutes before the hour set for the dinner. If
for some unavoidable reason you cannot arrive on time, telephone
the hostess and explain the reason to her. If it has been
impossible for you to notify her and she has started the
meal after having waited the required fifteen minutes after
the hour set, go to her, offer apologies, and take your
place at the table as quickly as possible. The tardy guest
begins with the course that is then being served.
- Eating
Buffet Style - Etiquette: When eating at a buffet, you
will most likely be seated at a table with little utensils
already placed. Your plate will be filled to your liking
by walking down a serving table and having your plated filled
as you pass each dish. You will retrieve your eating utensils
and flatware at the serving table.
- Social
Etiquette and Good Manners: Buffet Tipping: Question
Are you suppost to tip at a buffet (where the waitor/waitress
does nothing more than bring your drinks and refills, and
occassionally a napkin). I go to a casual dining Chinese
buffet pretty regularly. It's family owned and operated,
except for the mexican busboys. Many other patrons leave
no cash on the table. I'm wondering if this is the norm
or if some tipping is expected. If so, how much?
Answer:
Dear Amanda, There is no need to tip the traditional 15
- 20 percent at a buffet. However, it is appropriate and
optimal to tip something. The waitress is still serving
and some of the tip probably is shared with the bussing
staff. I suggest 10 percent. Thanks for asking. Robin
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