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I Still Hear You, Emily Post
| Article
# : |
10056 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1986 |
1,289 Words |
| Author
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Ralph Schoenstein
Ralph Schoenstein is the author of fifteen books, including
Every Day Is Sunday, recently published by Little and Brown.
As a television essayist, he has done humorous commentary for
the ABC Evening News and The Today Show. Mr. Schoenstein, a
resident of Princeton, New Jersey, has done extensive magazine
writing for national publications. |
Last night at the dinner table, I happened to notice that my eldest daughter's elbows straddled her plate like an A-frame under construction, while my youngest daughter's arm was extended in a lunge for the salt that looked like the highlight of an Olympic fencing match. The sight of these postures affected me so deeply that I suddenly burst into song:
Children, children, if you're able,
Keep your elbows off the table;
And a reach for salt that way
Is clearly dining déclassé.
"Mom," said my daughter Kim through a mouth filtered by bread, "I think that something has slipped in Dad."
"The only thing that's slipped," I said, "is our manners. Look, I know it's fun to eat like Vikings, but my grandmother taught me manners and I'm afraid I can't forget them. Why, I can hear her right now telling me that even my little song was bad manners. I should have scolded you in speech because it's rude to sing at the table, just as it's rude to put your elbows on it."
"But that's where they fit," said Kim, preparing to swallow a spoonful of peas.
"Well, one of your hands is always supposed to be in your lap," I said.
"You mean to catch when I
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