Rituals of Dinner : The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners

by Visser, Margaret (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780140170795
• ISBN10: 0140170790
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1992-07-01
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Summary

With an acute eye and an irrepressible wit, Margaret Visser takes a fascinating look at the way we eat our meals. From the ancient Greeks to modern yuppies, from cannibalism and the taking of the Eucharist to formal dinners and picnics, she thoroughly defines the eating ritual. "Read this book. You'll never look at a table knife the same way again."- The New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Behaving	1	(38)
The Artificial Cannibal	4	(13)
Ritual	17	(10)
Feasting and Sacrifice	27	(12)
Learning to Behave	39	(40)
Bringing Children Up	40	(16)
Inhibitions	56	(13)
Aspirations	69	(10)
The Pleasure of Your Company	79	(58)
Company	84	(6)
Hosts and Guests	90	(9)
Invitations	99	(10)
Coming Right In	109	(12)
Taking Our Places	121	(16)
Dinner Is Served	137	(160)
The First Bite	138	(8)
Taking Note of Our Surroundings	146	(10)
The Prospect Before Us	156	(11)
Fingers	167	(12)
Chopsticks	179	(4)
Knives, Forks, Spoons	183	(13)
Sequence	196	(14)
Helpings	210	(17)
Carving	227	(15)
The Red, the White, and the Gold	242	(20)
Table Talk	262	(10)
Feeding, Feasts, and Females	272	(12)
All Gone	284	(13)
No Offence	297	(42)
Pollution	300	(9)
The Rules and Regulations of the Mouth	309	(17)
The Proprieties of Posture and Demeanour	326	(13)
Postscript: How Rude Are We?	339	(20)
References	359	(20)
Bibliography	379	(38)
Index	417