Many years ago I moved to Austria and I had a Christmas dinner with friends in Germany. This was 1992. It was a lot of stress because as an American I ate some things, like toast with my hands. You never can eat anything with your hands in Germany! LOL
My mom was German and since I was left handed I learned to eat as she did. I didn't realize until my early 20s that keeping both hands on the table here in the USA was considered rude. I also learned that eating in groups that I needed to sit on a corner so I wouldn't poke the diner next to me with my right elbow from using a knife. I never really realized until then that I ate differently than most other people. I don't get not eating with a knife. It seems like people who eat with just a fork chase their food around the plate! Doesn't seem efficient. Guess that's just the German in me!
In our part of the States at least it's not polite to hold the knife in your hand the whole time. It's more genteel to rest it on the plate when not in use.
Well hear in most of TEXAS it is traditional the same but over the years I have sadly watched those traditions become rather slack as for the differences meals usually came with a glass of ice water and some kind of bread but that was years ago and not always encountered today as for the sharing of tables now it is rare but was once common but regarding the waiter being king that has Always been a No, customers having to travel and possibly wait have Always been who is Important.
In Denmark it´s just called table manners ;-) Could one add: * never put the knife in your mouth * sit up straight! * lift the fork/spoon to your mouth- not the other way around * Never wash down a bite- consume food and beverages in seperate mouthfulls * chew your food slowly * Never take a bite so large that it cannot be swallowed rather quickly if someone converses you * Never start a conversation with someone who just took a bite * follow the other diners- try not to finish much before or after them * (in formal seating) be attentive to the lady to your right. pour water if her water glass is empty before your own glass- offer her the course complements (sauce, gravy, bread, salt/pepper) before using it yourself. * (in formal seating) converse the lady to your right before the lady to your left. During the first course all your attention should be on the lady to your right. *(in formal seating) If the lady to your right is the hostess, you are expected to formally toast her towards the ending of the meal and thanking her on behalf of all the guests for the dinner and hospitality. * Never discuss politics or religion with people you just met * Never notice the lack of manners in others! (unless you "brought" them to the dinner, in which case the error is on you for not preparing them properly) * don´t be a dick * Disregard these rules to annoy and embarres your stuck up, conservative father- not because you don´t know them!
We used to have manners in the United States. Unfortunately, about 25-30 years ago it changed when people decided that their children should not have any consequences for their own behavior. But I always enjoy being with people that remember the old days!!!
I was raised this way. My grandma was insistent that we have good table manners. As I got older and my kid brother (7 years younger than me) was learning good behavior at the table and struggling as a 2 year old will. I said something about it should be less strict at home, and my grandmother said something that stuck. She said, in the kindest way, "at this age, kids don't know the difference between 'in public' and 'at home.' If you teach good table manners at hime, even when it's hard, the little ones know how to act when you DO take them out." It made a lot of sense and I raised my children that way. When they were 4 and 5, I took them.to a nice German restaurant in Colorado Springs and, at the end of the meal, an older woman came over and said thanked me for my children's good behavior. I shared my grandma's wisdom (and gentle patience and correction when we blew it) and told the woman how much I was appreciating the tidbits of wisdom my Kansas-German grandma had imparted to a 10 year old me.
I was raised this way. My heritage is German and I worked for a German company "Bosch", for 27 years. The only major difference in my world is the knife and fork thing. However, when visiting Europe I was always in the habit of imitating my hosts and would use the knife and fork protocol.
One additional tip in Germany is that ones you chose your meal, you should close the menu immediately. Otherwise, the server still thinks you’re not ready to order. That happened to me at the very beginning when I moved to Munich. My boyfriend asked me to close the menu otherwise the server wouldn’t come 🤣
This so reminds me of what my Grandmother enforced in her house. She was a first generation American of German parents, and she ran a fairly German household.
I really enjoyed this video. Having been to Germany 3 times it adds credence to what I have told others about dining out. If the server likes you, your service is better and portions larger.
I'm 66 years old and English. It's interesting that the table manners you listed are exactly the same as those I was taught as a child in the 1950s and 1960s. It is just good old fashioned manners. I lived in Germany for ten years (husband was in the Army) and perhaps that is why I always felt comfortable dining out there. Your video also brought to mind how different the small taverns are to British pubs. We used to stroll down to our little local tavern on a Saturday afternoon and just sit, relax, talk and have a drink or two. It was just so relaxed. Also, I remember the barman used to mark how many beers we had with a pen on our beermats and we would pay at the end. That took some getting used to because in the UK we usually pay as we drink.
Ein Linkshänder darf heutzutage das Besteck durchaus auch anders herum benutzen. Sorry, in English - a lefthander may use knife and fork the other way around as well. That´s no big deal anymore.
@@MacBaerFFM No, I don´t think so. The domination of right handed people should be 0over by now. If you care for the rest of good manners this should be no issue.
I live in the U.S. and I think the most important table manners here are to make sure the cup holders in your car are open for everyone who's eating so that they can put their drink down while riding... I mean dinning. Also if you're the driver make sure some napkins are accessable before you start eating since it might frighten your passangers if you're looking around for them while driving. It's much more polite to be able to just grab a napkin easily while driving.
@TheMattjudo26 "I live in the U.S. and I think the most important table manners [...] be able to just grab a napkin easily while driving." =============================== Ha Ha! *:-D*
My parents were very strict about table manners, sheesh! Sit up straight, elbows off the table, napkin in your lap, chew with your mouth closed, don’t click your silverware on your teeth, don’t talk with food in your mouth. Ask for something to be passed to you, do not reach across somebody. That’s a lot to remember if your a kid. Lol.
Hahahaha! This is so funny, I grew up the same way! Eating with them is always stressful. Ah, they meant it well and in the end I am glad I know how to eat properly!
I really like your channel. It has been many years since I lived in Germany. The food was always outstanding. Watching your channel makes me long for Germany, it’s food and people.
As an American, I could never get used to keeping both hands on the table. I was trained to keep your left hand on your lap unless actively using the knife and fork to cut your food. And of course we always switch hands and stab our food with our forks. Not eating with my hands was hard as well! We had food trucks at work, and us Americans would eat burgers with our hands while the Germans used utensils. But then one day I had a very overstuffed Döner, which I used a knife and fork on. My German colleagues were horrified Waiting for everyone's food to arrive is polite in the US as well, but not too the extent it is in Germany. I always liked the service in German restaurants, but I'm a be weird american who doesn't enjoy small talk and hovering. I never did get used to asking for the check, since in the US it usually arrives three second you put your fork down. Oh my favorite story was when my husband and I were in a traditional restaurant, and my husband saw they had "pork neck", a dish I had been raving about since I first visited Germany. (Turns out it's what we would call a pork shoulder steak, which isn't very common. Plus US pork is super lean). He tried to order it, and the waiter said no, you are getting pork knuckle and walked away. He was a little annoyed (our friends did tell him it would be delicious) until it arrived and yes, the waiter was right. Later, he did order pork neck at another restaurant, where we found out it's just pork shoulder steak. Except super delicious compared to what we get in the US since our pork is so lean.
The cultural differences are huge, but in the end, as soon as we share the love for good food nothing really matters 😉 I can imagine that it was surprising for you to see how different we eat and behave here in Europe. But that’s the beauty of traveling and getting to know other cultures. I wonder how it would be for Americans if they see us eating a slice of bread with fork and knife 🤣 I am so glad that you got to try pork knuckle and our pork neck and that you liked it. The waiters can be very “convincing” 😂
Guess it just proves we're comfortable with what we're used to. My mom was German and I learned to eat a she did since I was left handed. I don't get how people don't eat with a knife in their hand all the time. It always looked to me like my former wife was "chasing" her food around her plate with just a fork-and trying to cut food with a fork-didnt seem very efficient. Different strokes for different folks!
@@cooking-the-world I remember these rules very well as the relatives in Germany were quick to correct me when I wasn't doing things the German way! I remember when my sister and I were eating French fries with our fingers. Our aunt and uncle just couldn't believe it. They actually may have used the word "barbaric". Once in a nice restaurant in Frankfurt I ordered a hamburger and of course picked it up with my hands. The waiter came over to my mother and toId her I couldn't eat it like that-that I had to use a knife and fork!
My mother is American and my father was born in Sweden. When she visited his family there, they had very rigid table manners which intimidated her. She said that she was once served a whole, fresh pear for dessert and it was expected that it be eaten with a knife and fork. The pear was very hard and she could not cut into it, and she was extremely embarrassed in front of his family. I remember visiting a restaurant in Sweden in the 1980s. When I picked up a slice of pizza with my hand and started eating it, people at other tables near us literally stopped eating to stare at me like I was an animal. My Swedish cousins quickly corrected me.
Oh how exciting! I hope that you will make it to apple wine tavern for some apple wine and green sauce, Kleinmarkthalle and Konstablerwache market for some street food:) enjoy my hometown!
I've been to Germany twice and was stationed in Frankfurt. Having eaten in several restaurants...in the US, it varies depending on the type of restaurant and dining experience... some places are casual while others are formal...but my paternal oma had family dinners where she taught us table manners...
Its changed when i lived in Germany in the 80s it was frowned upon to tip because at that time at least in berlin tips were automaticly included in the price though being the typical american i would leave extra for excellent service which i was always given i love the service even in the small Gasthuas they were wonderful =)
I do know how to eat "Continental" style, but I don't do it consistently. A benefit of this style is that it forces you to consume smaller bites of food and to eat your meal more slowly overall. I find it more challenging with softer foods.
As a German, born, raised and living here, I find some of your rules quite wrong. If you are in a restaurant where they don't like your coat on the back of your chair, you want have tables as close together as in your next point. The ordering order might be in a upper class restaurant with a family cometogether, but usually they just start at one end of the table and go on clockwise. You can ask for ice in your drink. But our softdrinks are cold anyway. So all you get is less of the actual drink. It's not usual to ask for smaller portions. You can try though. You can put your napkin on your lap, but you'll probably get funny looks from others... Normally even in normal restaurants they will always try to serve the food at the same time. Some people might have ordered appetizer while others don't. But the main menue for all will arrive at the same time. If there is only one waiter for your table he might have to go a few times. But still. And you only ask for a 'doggy bag' if you have a whole lot of leftovers. And in upper class restaurants, you'd never ever do that!
nowdays you dont wait for everyones food to arrive anymore as this is not considered good anymore because then half the table eat cold, so nowdays its even in the highest restaurants with ur boss totaly okay to start eating.
All of those rules apply here in Australia in a good restaurant. Being hot here we are asked if we would like iced water on our table. 40 years ago we taught our children how to eat properly with a knife and fork and those rules apply here also. My husband is German and when we took the children to visit his family we would go out to dinner or eat with friends sometimes. Our children were only 4 and 5 years old when we had our first visit and everyone was pleasantly surprised to see our childrens' wonderful table manners. Did they think we might be a little uncouth here in Australia, haha. I must admit though it's sad to see table manners declining and people can be rather rude sometimes.
Hi Marta! I just found your channel and I love it! I visited Germany in 1995 when I was 14, and it left a lasting impression on me. The culture, food, and daily lives of Germans seemed so interesting to me. I want to take my wife and 2 children back to Germany someday. I know they would love it! One question I had for you was regarding alcoholic beverages, and they role they play in food, culture, and family. I know Germans have a more relaxed view of alcohol (I was allowed to have alcohol, and it blew my mind as a 14 year old), can you talk more about that, and responsible drinking in German culture? Maybe the types of drinks, what is popular and where, and growing up with alcohol in German society? Danke Schön!
@@ProctorsGamble It´s not that easy. You may drink wine and beer with 16 but hard liquor with 18 and up. Real driving cars starts with 18. 17 only in company with an experienced adult 25+ . (both after driving school and exam, of course )
Thanks for sharing. I think, to learn a local culture, one way is going to a pub and get drunk, on the other side, go to a fine dining to experience the style.
… Years years ago, I had here in Germany the pleasure of having dinner with US business partners several times. After dinner, the table looked like a battlefield. Bread was crumbled next to the plate and eating with both, a knife and fork together was impossible for these people. 🙂
My mother was German-American, but I was explicitly taught to eat in the American fashion. That is, to cut things with the knife in my right hand and the fork in my left, and then to put the knife down and take the fork in my right hand to eat. I was never allowed to hold both utensils at the same time while eating. I was also taught to eat with my fork concave-side-up, which I have since learned is the opposite of typical usage in Europe. Elbows were never allowed on the table and the left hand was to remain in one's lap unless it was being used for something. I was also taught to place my utensils on my plate crossed at ninety degrees to indicate that I was finished eating.
I eat so fast that the knife always winds up staying in my hand for the entire meal, which is about five or 10 minutes. That's one of the advantages of using only my left hand for the fork or spoon and only the right hand for the knife. I can shovel food into my mouth much faster.
Honestly I don’t know where you get all that from.. we only do that in fancy restaurants at Business dinners, never knew anybody who did this on a normal basis 🤷🏼♀️
As always: don’t believe all the RUclipsrs. She is generalizing things that are not generally the case. Being seated, share a table (usually if all tables are occupied), server is king (what a bullshit). And so on.
We’re cultural slobs in Australia 😂 But in saying that, we do have etiquettes cos we’re fairly multicultural and have many influences on how we operate. Your video makes me miss traveling 😭
I found many things different. In the U.S., we expect water glasses to be filled with ice-water (tap) immediately after being seated, and throughout the meal, whenever the glass gets low. This is free and provided regardless of any other drink order. It is considered bad service if water glasses are not refilled. (And I can't even imagine being DENIED free tap water in a restaurant!) While I often eat with both fork and knife, it is also considered normal and polite to cut with the knife, put it down, (switch hands), then eat with the right hand, while keeping the left hand in the lap. Some foods, even in good restaurants, are meant to be eaten with the hands (french fries, pizza, ribs, etc). Some items are commonly referred to as "finger foods." Napkins are often folded and placed beside the plate if getting up from the table. In nicer restaurants, a cloth napkin goes in the lap, but in casual places, paper napkins are often kept alongside the plate. Of course, there are regional differences in such things. What is polite in one place is rude in another.
Thanks for this comment! Free tap water is so great. I don’t know what we don’t offer this here in Germany. And why some restaurants don’t accept credit cards.
I come from German/duetch, French and possible Russian or Ukrainian heritage and I even like some of these but the knife and fork will be hard to do since I switch when i cute my meat my fork goes in my left hand I don't know why but I find it easier to cut meat with the knife in my right hand
True. My mom still can't believe I know how to use chop sticks and she can't lol my son stuck his chopsticks up right on his rice and I told him to take them out and lay them down he asked why I said because they represent incense sticks at a temple or for the family shrine and it's also for prayers for the dead. Different things in Japan and China from what I heard.
No one is following all these rules i don't know from where you get them. In normal restaurants you just eat normal and not like a pig and that's it. Most people put their jackets on the chair, nearly no one puts their napkin on their lap, i and allot of other people switch knife and fork sometimes and hands on the table is a thing wich is not requiered. Most off these rules are only for high tier restaurants, most people will not follow these rules in a normal, casual restaurant. Even the thing with the Knife and Fork parallel to the table, this is not done too in a normal restaurant, yeah most people lay them parallel so it is easier for the waiter but it is not needed. The order of orders is random too, most of the time you just look for who is first but it is not rude or something like this if you start in the "false" order. The only things that are normal and everybody does it waited to be seated, take your hat's off and eye contact while toasting and the waiter things but like i said other then that none of these rules is beeing followed or requiered in a normal restaurant :D Just eat normal and not like a pig and thats it, except if you are in a luxury restaurant.
I would say every point is also true in France, except maybe for special tables dedicated to regular customers. However, manners have generally gone down the drain in the past decades, and sadly not only at the restaurant. When it comes to seating though, as a student abroad I shortly worked as a waitress in different restaurants, and we were asked to give the customers the least popular tables first, and since then I have made sure to ask for the open table I prefer if the one they selected isn't a good choice for me.
In the uk they used knife and fork together, in the USA I noticed they use the knife to cut only then rest it on the side of plate and use fork to proceed to eat.
That’s right. I always thought that switching the cutlery several times in the middle of the meal is more difficult. But it seems to work for some nations really good ☺️
That comes from the American Revolutionary War = American Colonies vs Great Britain. It was used to distinguish from pro Independence people vs the "remaining British subjects crowd." By the way, most Americans wanted to remain a colony of the UK. You see how a small minority can change everything for the better or worse just like this "Woke" crowd of people shoving their shite down our throats about trans -gay- sis-gender / socialism rights teaching our kids that everything white in the UK / USA stands for is racist, homophobic? That's how it happens!
I think it would have been very interesting if you let us know how to say certain things in German, like a doggy bag, asking for the bill. I speak German but a lot of people might find it useful
This is always good to know! It’s very similar in Australia except for the holding both the knife and fork one. While most do eat like that there is no etiquette rule specifically that I’m aware of. Would you be able to do a ‘polite phrases’ video on how to order using some German and if there is any etiquette rules in regards to eating in public or ‘on the go’ as I understand many non western countries frown on that.
This is great idea Stephanie! You are right! There are many ways to express what you would like to have - some more polite than others. I need to get this done before the crowed starts arriving here 😀
And coming back to table rules - our parents made sure we could eat properly before they took us to any restaurant 😂 but even at home there was always a fight if we didn’t sit properly, hold fork and knife properly, chew properly and put the elbows on the table. Back than I hated it, but know I am glad I lernt it properly from the beginning. Whoever I eat with, or wherever I eat I feel comfortable. I wish they thought me how to use chopsticks sooner though 😂
Many of these manners apply where I live. (PNW, USA) The switching of fork & knife after cutting is done here. If you don't, no one is going to stare @ you, but it's considered gauche.
Ich bin Amerikanerin und habe eine deutsche Großmutter in Berlin geboren. Als ich das letzte Mal in Deutschland war, waren meine Lieblingsgerichte Sauerbraten, Kassler Rippchen, Bratwurst aller Art, Schweinebraten, alle Schnitzel. Auch für alkoholfreie Getränke stellte mich Deutschland Spezi vor und hier in den USA mache ich es mir selbst, Koffein frei Diet Coke und Diet Orange Fanta zu mischen.
Here in South Africa we have same table manners exept for seating is small restaurants. Then we just go and sit at a table. Formal restaurants the waiter give you a table. (But then our grandparents came from Germany and other European countries) :)
Urgrossvater: Als ich meine Frau (Southern Bell) kennengelernt habe, sah sie : Linke Hand - Gabel. Rechte Hand - Messer. Danach- Das will ich auch lernen.😀
sry but where the hell you do that ? in 36 years i nevert waited to be seated in my life in a restaurant xD maybe in a super high tier one but not in normal restaurants you go in and sit at a free table xD and most of this stuff is MAYBE done when you are eating with ur boss but come on ... if i decide to go out eating like korean with a friend we do absolutly nothing of that ever
When I was in Germany if we had Half C hicken and chips we were only given a fork not a knife, this was up North in Germany in a place called Fallingbostel
We use the fork convex only if we hold s.t. to cut with the knife. While eating we use the fork concave. It takes a while to learn to turn the fork 180°aka switch between concave and convex stance. We do not start eating before everyone is seated at the table. Still fashion. Men only sit down after all ladies have done so. Old fashion. All children and youth below 18 have to stand at the table while eating. Very old Hugenott fashion - extinct.
United States: If we put our napkin on the chair is considered as an insult to the chef. We eat with one hand under the table... or if both hands are there, then like you, we don't put elbows on table. We do not have our hands on the table while waiting for the food. Eating with a fork and knife ; we cut up a food piece, then put knife at top of the edge of plate. To eat with both utensils in hand, is more of co.siderwd as hoarding. Yes, always chew with your mouth closed ! Toasting drinks, it's bad luck to toast woth water in glass. 😊 Now, mind you, most people do not follow these guidelines. Most are simply sloppy ... and I jave to admit, once in awhile I get sloppy as well, because the surroundings can affect you.
I'm zero for three already. I seat myself if is says to do so, I keep my hat on and I hang my coat up on my chair. I can't wait until we get to how to hold the knife and fork.
Most of those used to be the same in America. Unfortunately, I don't think that manners are taught by anybody anymore in the USA. One exception is eating with the knife and fork. I have tried to learn that, but I'm going to have to practice much more. I didn't know about the water. Must be why I didn't get any water in The Netherlands when I went to a pancake house. :)
Most young Americans eat very casually: even when fine dining, we find that most patrons are etiquette illiterate. Although we acknowledge the continental style of eating we typically use the American style of switching hands to show that we are taking our time and enjoying our dinner companion’s company: I find it disrespectful for someone to idly hold their silverware while talking to me unless they’re taking a bite. We set the utensils on the left so that the wait staff can receive our dishes from the left and grip the utensils. We always enter our seat rom the right. We wait for the person hosting us to be seated and then all follow suit. We also follow the hosts queues as for when to begin eating, etc. i never put a napkin where another person has sat: folded on the left temporarily and laid to the right when finished. If you are respectful and have a correct, non abrasive or attention-drawing personality, we’re typically very forgiving because we all come from different etiquette background.
The normal way to eat in USA is to use the fork to hold food in place with the left hand then cut it with a knife in the right hand, put knife down. Transfer the fork to the right hand and eat with right hand, eating with the left hand is considered rude.
Hello! Love your channel. My husband and I visited Austria our first time in November 2020. It was there I fell in love with schnitzel! It was literally the best food I'd ever eaten. Is there anywhere in the US you may know of that I can get quality schnitzel to purchase in store, or perhaps via mail order from Germany? Regarding table manners; my mother taught me and my siblings the same type of table manners. I learned to position my utensils (fork tines turned down and knife parallel) to signal I have finished my meal. My mother worked in food service field.
hey Pedro, to be honest, preparing Schnitzel is not always easy, because they tent to get very dry, if you don't know what you are doing. Moreover Vienna Schnitzel is different to those that we prepare in Germany, because is made from veal. So the cuts would be different. If I was a Schnitzel lover I would start by preparing Schnitzel from pork neck slices. Those will stay nice a juicy and you won't have problems with finding them in a store. I have also a video showing how to prepare German Schnitzel so you can have a look. Other than this you can look for traditional Austrian Veal Schnitzel recipe. Good luck :)
I always use my left hand when using either a fork or a spoon. If I have to cut something, I use my right hand to cut with a knife. But my basic rule is fork and spoon left hand only. I imagine Germans would consider my way strange.
Also different: "Düsseldorf längste Theke der Welt" and other Towns like Cologne is the Waiter in Brauhaus called "Köbes" there are very special 🤣 When your beer is empty he bring a new one without order (no free fills Americans!). If you have enough take your Bierdeckel on your Glas! Not very friendly but funny he is the Kaiser!
Very similar etiquette in the UK but asking for a "doggy bag" (or any kind of take away) very would be VERY weird, would make you look very cheap a service charge of 12.5% is almost always included except in the cheapest cafe. Only the Americans seem to cut food and then swap the fork to the right hand - deeply strange... Elbows on the table in the UK is almost a criminal offence. Of course, all the rules of etiquette go out of the window if it's spaghetti for dinner at home - fork in right hand, elbows on, dipping bread whenever you like...
I would offer one exception which is when my daughter does not finish her pizza at our local (very traditional) italian restaurant, a doog-bag request is definitely in order
Interesting. Where I am from, if a plate is left with food on it, it would be assumed you don't like it enough to take it with you. Taking your leftovers home is not considered cheap, but leaving food behind is considered wasteful.
Most of these rules apply in America but here it’s okay to set down your knife and put the fork in the right hand. Also it’s okay to take your coat to your table. And many people just don’t observe the rules at all 😆
@@cooking-the-world I don't think it is as much as it is about "not knowing" as much as it is simply DIFFERENT. There isn't a universally accepted, true standard about such things.
My granny always told me I ate like Europeans do because I kept my knife in my left hand all the time even as a child. Of course we learned manners back then and you would be yelled at for not keeping your mouth closed and eating before the table was served.
Don't forget to use your thumb to order of you use your finger you get double. Also don't be loud,german find that to be rude. Unlike france, if you try to attempt order in german they will respect you more. But the holding of the knife and fork is ultra huge.
I think when travelling abroad, you should continue to use your native customs. Eat the way your mother taught you. Life is too short to worry about the right way to eat in a foreign country, unless you just want to try the new way. That goes for Germans visiting here. Eat your way, and be proud of your heritage.
I once told my brother in law to take his hat off at the Christmas table. I got looked at like I was the devil. I was the only member of my family there. American table manners have went straight to hell.
These rules apply basically in the U.S. in better restaurants but when there are children the manners seem to fly out the window and the parents don't seem to care. What I find strangle about your table manners in Germany is that Germans don't follow these rules in the U.S. I have found that when I go out in the U.S. that Germans have some of the worst manners I have seen. I even made comment to a friend of mine about this. Maybe they think we don't have manners here so they aren't required to either.
Manches ist Quatsch: Das mit den Servietten wird nur in Nobel-Restaurants gemacht, ansonsten nicht. Genauso muss, man seine Klamotten nicht an den Haken hängen. Und in den allermeisten bezahlbaren Schänken sucht man sich seinen Tisch selber aus
What are the table manners in your country?
Many years ago I moved to Austria and I had a Christmas dinner with friends in Germany. This was 1992. It was a lot of stress because as an American I ate some things, like toast with my hands. You never can eat anything with your hands in Germany! LOL
My mom was German and since I was left handed I learned to eat as she did. I didn't realize until my early 20s that keeping both hands on the table here in the USA was considered rude. I also learned that eating in groups that I needed to sit on a corner so I wouldn't poke the diner next to me with my right elbow from using a knife. I never really realized until then that I ate differently than most other people. I don't get not eating with a knife. It seems like people who eat with just a fork chase their food around the plate! Doesn't seem efficient. Guess that's just the German in me!
One Thing we do in the USA is sit in front of the TV and eat while watching American football
In our part of the States at least it's not polite to hold the knife in your hand the whole time. It's more genteel to rest it on the plate when not in use.
Well hear in most of TEXAS it is traditional the same but over the years I have sadly watched those traditions become rather slack as for the differences meals usually came with a glass of ice water and some kind of bread but that was years ago and not always encountered today as for the sharing of tables now it is rare but was once common but regarding the waiter being king that has Always been a No, customers having to travel and possibly wait have Always been who is Important.
In Denmark it´s just called table manners ;-) Could one add:
* never put the knife in your mouth
* sit up straight!
* lift the fork/spoon to your mouth- not the other way around
* Never wash down a bite- consume food and beverages in seperate mouthfulls
* chew your food slowly
* Never take a bite so large that it cannot be swallowed rather quickly if someone converses you
* Never start a conversation with someone who just took a bite
* follow the other diners- try not to finish much before or after them
* (in formal seating) be attentive to the lady to your right. pour water if her water glass is empty before your own glass- offer her the course complements (sauce, gravy, bread, salt/pepper) before using it yourself.
* (in formal seating) converse the lady to your right before the lady to your left. During the first course all your attention should be on the lady to your right.
*(in formal seating) If the lady to your right is the hostess, you are expected to formally toast her towards the ending of the meal and thanking her on behalf of all the guests for the dinner and hospitality.
* Never discuss politics or religion with people you just met
* Never notice the lack of manners in others! (unless you "brought" them to the dinner, in which case the error is on you for not preparing them properly)
* don´t be a dick
* Disregard these rules to annoy and embarres your stuck up, conservative father- not because you don´t know them!
Hahahaha! I love the last three :D You made my Monday :)
We used to have manners in the United States. Unfortunately, about 25-30 years ago it changed when people decided that their children should not have any consequences for their own behavior. But I always enjoy being with people that remember the old days!!!
Cultures change over time. That's just how human works. I'm sure everybody on earth just used their hands to eat back in the old old days haha
Exactly!
More like 50 years ago, LOL! xD
We had etiquette class when I was a child in the 80s
I was raised this way. My grandma was insistent that we have good table manners. As I got older and my kid brother (7 years younger than me) was learning good behavior at the table and struggling as a 2 year old will. I said something about it should be less strict at home, and my grandmother said something that stuck.
She said, in the kindest way, "at this age, kids don't know the difference between 'in public' and 'at home.' If you teach good table manners at hime, even when it's hard, the little ones know how to act when you DO take them out."
It made a lot of sense and I raised my children that way. When they were 4 and 5, I took them.to a nice German restaurant in Colorado Springs and, at the end of the meal, an older woman came over and said thanked me for my children's good behavior. I shared my grandma's wisdom (and gentle patience and correction when we blew it) and told the woman how much I was appreciating the tidbits of wisdom my Kansas-German grandma had imparted to a 10 year old me.
I was raised this way. My heritage is German and I worked for a German company "Bosch", for 27 years. The only major difference in my world is the knife and fork thing. However, when visiting Europe I was always in the habit of imitating my hosts and would use the knife and fork protocol.
One additional tip in Germany is that ones you chose your meal, you should close the menu immediately. Otherwise, the server still thinks you’re not ready to order. That happened to me at the very beginning when I moved to Munich. My boyfriend asked me to close the menu otherwise the server wouldn’t come 🤣
You are so right Camille! This is so obvious for us that I forgot to mention it :)
That is the same in the USA. Just most people don't know it.
I might add, don't pass your menu to another guest so they end up with a big pile to hand to the server
That’s universal.❤
Hm maybe not in Puerto Rico where I’m from 😊. But we keep learning!
Well, I'd say these table manners apply to every European country; not only Germany. 🙂
This so reminds me of what my Grandmother enforced in her house. She was a first generation American of German parents, and she ran a fairly German household.
Excellent instructions. Even in the US, many have no clue about hats, napkins, seating yourself. Another great subject and very well presented...Danke
I really enjoyed this video. Having been to Germany 3 times it adds credence to what I have told others about dining out. If the server likes you, your service is better and portions larger.
That’s true:)
the server doesnt make the portions so i call that bs xD
I'm 66 years old and English. It's interesting that the table manners you listed are exactly the same as those I was taught as a child in the 1950s and 1960s. It is just good old fashioned manners. I lived in Germany for ten years (husband was in the Army) and perhaps that is why I always felt comfortable dining out there. Your video also brought to mind how different the small taverns are to British pubs. We used to stroll down to our little local tavern on a Saturday afternoon and just sit, relax, talk and have a drink or two. It was just so relaxed. Also, I remember the barman used to mark how many beers we had with a pen on our beermats and we would pay at the end. That took some getting used to because in the UK we usually pay as we drink.
The fork always with the left hand, the knife with the right hand. No exceptions 🤗
No exceptions! And no switching :D
My husband does. I struggle.
Ein Linkshänder darf heutzutage das Besteck durchaus auch anders herum benutzen.
Sorry, in English - a lefthander may use knife and fork the other way around as well.
That´s no big deal anymore.
@@BikerVFR the decline of table manners for sure.
@@MacBaerFFM No, I don´t think so.
The domination of right handed people should be 0over by now.
If you care for the rest of good manners this should be no issue.
I live in the U.S. and I think the most important table manners here are to make sure the cup holders in your car are open for everyone who's eating so that they can put their drink down while riding... I mean dinning. Also if you're the driver make sure some napkins are accessable before you start eating since it might frighten your passangers if you're looking around for them while driving. It's much more polite to be able to just grab a napkin easily while driving.
oh yeah we don't eat at tables only in cars!
😂😂😂
Hah! So true, Matt. Although, it would be a bitch trying to eat a Schweinhaxe in the car!
@TheMattjudo26
"I live in the U.S. and I think the most important table manners [...] be able to just grab a napkin easily while driving."
===============================
Ha Ha! *:-D*
My parents were very strict about table manners, sheesh! Sit up straight, elbows off the table, napkin in your lap, chew with your mouth closed, don’t click your silverware on your teeth, don’t talk with food in your mouth. Ask for something to be passed to you, do not reach across somebody. That’s a lot to remember if your a kid. Lol.
Hahahaha! This is so funny, I grew up the same way! Eating with them is always stressful. Ah, they meant it well and in the end I am glad I know how to eat properly!
I really like your channel. It has been many years since I lived in Germany. The food was always outstanding. Watching your channel makes me long for Germany, it’s food and people.
HEY,you didnt even get a like.Wussup wit that?
As an American, I could never get used to keeping both hands on the table. I was trained to keep your left hand on your lap unless actively using the knife and fork to cut your food. And of course we always switch hands and stab our food with our forks.
Not eating with my hands was hard as well! We had food trucks at work, and us Americans would eat burgers with our hands while the Germans used utensils. But then one day I had a very overstuffed Döner, which I used a knife and fork on. My German colleagues were horrified
Waiting for everyone's food to arrive is polite in the US as well, but not too the extent it is in Germany.
I always liked the service in German restaurants, but I'm a be weird american who doesn't enjoy small talk and hovering. I never did get used to asking for the check, since in the US it usually arrives three second you put your fork down.
Oh my favorite story was when my husband and I were in a traditional restaurant, and my husband saw they had "pork neck", a dish I had been raving about since I first visited Germany. (Turns out it's what we would call a pork shoulder steak, which isn't very common. Plus US pork is super lean). He tried to order it, and the waiter said no, you are getting pork knuckle and walked away. He was a little annoyed (our friends did tell him it would be delicious) until it arrived and yes, the waiter was right. Later, he did order pork neck at another restaurant, where we found out it's just pork shoulder steak. Except super delicious compared to what we get in the US since our pork is so lean.
The cultural differences are huge, but in the end, as soon as we share the love for good food nothing really matters 😉 I can imagine that it was surprising for you to see how different we eat and behave here in Europe. But that’s the beauty of traveling and getting to know other cultures. I wonder how it would be for Americans if they see us eating a slice of bread with fork and knife 🤣
I am so glad that you got to try pork knuckle and our pork neck and that you liked it. The waiters can be very “convincing” 😂
Guess it just proves we're comfortable with what we're used to. My mom was German and I learned to eat a she did since I was left handed. I don't get how people don't eat with a knife in their hand all the time. It always looked to me like my former wife was "chasing" her food around her plate with just a fork-and trying to cut food with a fork-didnt seem very efficient. Different strokes for different folks!
@@cooking-the-world I remember these rules very well as the relatives in Germany were quick to correct me when I wasn't doing things the German way! I remember when my sister and I were eating French fries with our fingers. Our aunt and uncle just couldn't believe it. They actually may have used the word "barbaric". Once in a nice restaurant in Frankfurt I ordered a hamburger and of course picked it up with my hands. The waiter came over to my mother and toId her I couldn't eat it like that-that I had to use a knife and fork!
My mother is American and my father was born in Sweden. When she visited his family there, they had very rigid table manners which intimidated her. She said that she was once served a whole, fresh pear for dessert and it was expected that it be eaten with a knife and fork. The pear was very hard and she could not cut into it, and she was extremely embarrassed in front of his family. I remember visiting a restaurant in Sweden in the 1980s. When I picked up a slice of pizza with my hand and started eating it, people at other tables near us literally stopped eating to stare at me like I was an animal. My Swedish cousins quickly corrected me.
I like what You are saying as I was raise this way being my mother was 50% German and my Grand mother 100%. Manners very important.
I agree l!
I just landed in Frankfurt yesterday. I’m staying in Germany for 30 days. This is good information to know!
Oh how exciting! I hope that you will make it to apple wine tavern for some apple wine and green sauce, Kleinmarkthalle and Konstablerwache market for some street food:) enjoy my hometown!
I've been to Germany twice and was stationed in Frankfurt. Having eaten in several restaurants...in the US, it varies depending on the type of restaurant and dining experience... some places are casual while others are formal...but my paternal oma had family dinners where she taught us table manners...
Its changed when i lived in Germany in the 80s it was frowned upon to tip because at that time at least in berlin tips were automaticly included in the price though being the typical american i would leave extra for excellent service which i was always given i love the service even in the small Gasthuas they were wonderful =)
I do know how to eat "Continental" style, but I don't do it consistently. A benefit of this style is that it forces you to consume smaller bites of food and to eat your meal more slowly overall. I find it more challenging with softer foods.
As a German, born, raised and living here, I find some of your rules quite wrong.
If you are in a restaurant where they don't like your coat on the back of your chair, you want have tables as close together as in your next point.
The ordering order might be in a upper class restaurant with a family cometogether, but usually they just start at one end of the table and go on clockwise.
You can ask for ice in your drink. But our softdrinks are cold anyway. So all you get is less of the actual drink.
It's not usual to ask for smaller portions. You can try though.
You can put your napkin on your lap, but you'll probably get funny looks from others...
Normally even in normal restaurants they will always try to serve the food at the same time. Some people might have ordered appetizer while others don't. But the main menue for all will arrive at the same time. If there is only one waiter for your table he might have to go a few times. But still.
And you only ask for a 'doggy bag' if you have a whole lot of leftovers. And in upper class restaurants, you'd never ever do that!
As a german, and someone who has worked in a restaurant, I am slighty offended with some things mentioned, which I find to be not true.
nowdays you dont wait for everyones food to arrive anymore as this is not considered good anymore because then half the table eat cold, so nowdays its even in the highest restaurants with ur boss totaly okay to start eating.
All of those rules apply here in Australia in a good restaurant. Being hot here we are asked if we would like iced water on our table. 40 years ago we taught our children how to eat properly with a knife and fork and those rules apply here also. My husband is German and when we took the children to visit his family we would go out to dinner or eat with friends sometimes. Our children were only 4 and 5 years old when we had our first visit and everyone was pleasantly surprised to see our childrens' wonderful table manners. Did they think we might be a little uncouth here in Australia, haha. I must admit though it's sad to see table manners declining and people can be rather rude sometimes.
I agree. And good job with raising your kids with right table manners :)
Thank you foe
R the tips. I never knew my German ancestors!
I am sorry to jest that
I live in Luxembourg. Normally the person who orders first is the person that the waiter brings the bill to at the end.
Hi Marta! I just found your channel and I love it!
I visited Germany in 1995 when I was 14, and it left a lasting impression on me. The culture, food, and daily lives of Germans seemed so interesting to me.
I want to take my wife and 2 children back to Germany someday. I know they would love it!
One question I had for you was regarding alcoholic beverages, and they role they play in food, culture, and family. I know Germans have a more relaxed view of alcohol (I was allowed to have alcohol, and it blew my mind as a 14 year old), can you talk more about that, and responsible drinking in German culture? Maybe the types of drinks, what is popular and where, and growing up with alcohol in German society?
Danke Schön!
Drinking age in Germany 16
Driving age 17
They learn to drink before they learn to drive. Thus they know the effects of drinking first. Seems to work.
@@ProctorsGamble It´s not that easy.
You may drink wine and beer with 16 but hard liquor with 18 and up.
Real driving cars starts with 18.
17 only in company with an experienced adult 25+ . (both after driving school and exam, of course )
I was raised such as this. Thxx for educating others
Thanks for sharing.
I think, to learn a local culture, one way is going to a pub and get drunk, on the other side, go to a fine dining to experience the style.
Hahahahaha! I love this approach!;)
… Years years ago, I had here in Germany the pleasure of having dinner with US business partners several times. After dinner, the table looked like a battlefield. Bread was crumbled next to the plate and eating with both, a knife and fork together was impossible for these people. 🙂
Quite Magnanimous!
My mother was German-American, but I was explicitly taught to eat in the American fashion. That is, to cut things with the knife in my right hand and the fork in my left, and then to put the knife down and take the fork in my right hand to eat. I was never allowed to hold both utensils at the same time while eating. I was also taught to eat with my fork concave-side-up, which I have since learned is the opposite of typical usage in Europe. Elbows were never allowed on the table and the left hand was to remain in one's lap unless it was being used for something. I was also taught to place my utensils on my plate crossed at ninety degrees to indicate that I was finished eating.
X marks the full belly!LOL
I refuse to eat with a knife continually in my fist. Call me a Yankee dog. I use the knife for cutting, as needed. Love your channel.
You can do whatever you like, I am not judging! Never!
I eat so fast that the knife always winds up staying in my hand for the entire meal, which is about five or 10 minutes. That's one of the advantages of using only my left hand for the fork or spoon and only the right hand for the knife. I can shovel food into my mouth much faster.
Honestly I don’t know where you get all that from.. we only do that in fancy restaurants at Business dinners, never knew anybody who did this on a normal basis 🤷🏼♀️
As always: don’t believe all the RUclipsrs. She is generalizing things that are not generally the case. Being seated, share a table (usually if all tables are occupied), server is king (what a bullshit). And so on.
We’re cultural slobs in Australia 😂
But in saying that, we do have etiquettes cos we’re fairly multicultural and have many influences on how we operate.
Your video makes me miss traveling 😭
there is strength in #'s man! LOL(when in Rome,,,,)
I found many things different. In the U.S., we expect water glasses to be filled with ice-water (tap) immediately after being seated, and throughout the meal, whenever the glass gets low. This is free and provided regardless of any other drink order. It is considered bad service if water glasses are not refilled. (And I can't even imagine being DENIED free tap water in a restaurant!) While I often eat with both fork and knife, it is also considered normal and polite to cut with the knife, put it down, (switch hands), then eat with the right hand, while keeping the left hand in the lap. Some foods, even in good restaurants, are meant to be eaten with the hands (french fries, pizza, ribs, etc). Some items are commonly referred to as "finger foods." Napkins are often folded and placed beside the plate if getting up from the table. In nicer restaurants, a cloth napkin goes in the lap, but in casual places, paper napkins are often kept alongside the plate. Of course, there are regional differences in such things. What is polite in one place is rude in another.
Thanks for this comment! Free tap water is so great. I don’t know what we don’t offer this here in Germany. And why some restaurants don’t accept credit cards.
I come from German/duetch, French and possible Russian or Ukrainian heritage and I even like some of these but the knife and fork will be hard to do since I switch when i cute my meat my fork goes in my left hand I don't know why but I find it easier to cut meat with the knife in my right hand
Thanks for watching. With a knife a fork is a matter of getting used to it. If you practice it will get much easier. Like with running or cooking :)
True. My mom still can't believe I know how to use chop sticks and she can't lol my son stuck his chopsticks up right on his rice and I told him to take them out and lay them down he asked why I said because they represent incense sticks at a temple or for the family shrine and it's also for prayers for the dead. Different things in Japan and China from what I heard.
@@cooking-the-world jeah but why even get used to it ? its not considered anymore even in highest resturatns so why bother ?
I grew in Canada with a German father a lot of manners applied in my family
No one is following all these rules i don't know from where you get them. In normal restaurants you just eat normal and not like a pig and that's it. Most people put their jackets on the chair, nearly no one puts their napkin on their lap, i and allot of other people switch knife and fork sometimes and hands on the table is a thing wich is not requiered. Most off these rules are only for high tier restaurants, most people will not follow these rules in a normal, casual restaurant. Even the thing with the Knife and Fork parallel to the table, this is not done too in a normal restaurant, yeah most people lay them parallel so it is easier for the waiter but it is not needed. The order of orders is random too, most of the time you just look for who is first but it is not rude or something like this if you start in the "false" order. The only things that are normal and everybody does it waited to be seated, take your hat's off and eye contact while toasting and the waiter things but like i said other then that none of these rules is beeing followed or requiered in a normal restaurant :D Just eat normal and not like a pig and thats it, except if you are in a luxury restaurant.
I would say every point is also true in France, except maybe for special tables dedicated to regular customers. However, manners have generally gone down the drain in the past decades, and sadly not only at the restaurant.
When it comes to seating though, as a student abroad I shortly worked as a waitress in different restaurants, and we were asked to give the customers the least popular tables first, and since then I have made sure to ask for the open table I prefer if the one they selected isn't a good choice for me.
In the uk they used knife and fork together, in the USA I noticed they use the knife to cut only then rest it on the side of plate and use fork to proceed to eat.
That’s right. I always thought that switching the cutlery several times in the middle of the meal is more difficult. But it seems to work for some nations really good ☺️
That comes from the American Revolutionary War = American Colonies vs Great Britain. It was used to distinguish from pro Independence people vs the "remaining British subjects crowd." By the way, most Americans wanted to remain a colony of the UK. You see how a small minority can change everything for the better or worse just like this "Woke" crowd of people shoving their shite down our throats about trans -gay- sis-gender / socialism rights teaching our kids that everything white in the UK / USA stands for is racist, homophobic? That's how it happens!
I was raised these manners as well.
welcome to 2023 these rules you are talking about were already extremely outdated when I was a child
I think it would have been very interesting if you let us know how to say certain things in German, like a doggy bag, asking for the bill. I speak German but a lot of people might find it useful
You are right. There are polite ways to ask for certain things. Coming up in March or April ☺️
This is always good to know! It’s very similar in Australia except for the holding both the knife and fork one. While most do eat like that there is no etiquette rule specifically that I’m aware of. Would you be able to do a ‘polite phrases’ video on how to order using some German and if there is any etiquette rules in regards to eating in public or ‘on the go’ as I understand many non western countries frown on that.
This is great idea Stephanie! You are right! There are many ways to express what you would like to have - some more polite than others. I need to get this done before the crowed starts arriving here 😀
And coming back to table rules - our parents made sure we could eat properly before they took us to any restaurant 😂 but even at home there was always a fight if we didn’t sit properly, hold fork and knife properly, chew properly and put the elbows on the table. Back than I hated it, but know I am glad I lernt it properly from the beginning. Whoever I eat with, or wherever I eat I feel comfortable. I wish they thought me how to use chopsticks sooner though 😂
I truly like your observations and comments!
Many of these manners apply where I live. (PNW, USA) The switching of fork & knife after cutting is done here. If you don't, no one is going to stare @ you, but it's considered gauche.
Ich bin Amerikanerin und habe eine deutsche Großmutter in Berlin geboren. Als ich das letzte Mal in Deutschland war, waren meine Lieblingsgerichte Sauerbraten, Kassler Rippchen, Bratwurst aller Art, Schweinebraten, alle Schnitzel. Auch für alkoholfreie Getränke stellte mich Deutschland Spezi vor und hier in den USA mache ich es mir selbst, Koffein frei Diet Coke und Diet Orange Fanta zu mischen.
Here in South Africa we have same table manners exept for seating is small restaurants. Then we just go and sit at a table. Formal restaurants the waiter give you a table. (But then our grandparents came from Germany and other European countries) :)
hi,
it is the same here in germany.
very much the same as the uk. great videos
Thanks for watching 🤩
I didn't realize how different America was from Germany I knew we were different but wow that much, crazy
Yeah, that’s right. But i guess that the beauty about the world - that we are all so different ☺️
I don't know, I was raised to practice all these things, and I'm American
except for the knife in hand at all times
@@orangesoup wut ????!!!?!?
Yes table manners you learn when you 4 yrs old. I'm from a sudeten deutsch / swabisch family and all this just normal for us.
The video was created with tourists in mind ;)
Oh ok also ban baseball caps 😂
😂
It’s common sense but unfortunately some people don’t have much etiquette.
Urgrossvater: Als ich meine Frau (Southern Bell) kennengelernt habe, sah sie : Linke Hand - Gabel. Rechte Hand - Messer. Danach- Das will ich auch lernen.😀
😅
sry but where the hell you do that ? in 36 years i nevert waited to be seated in my life in a restaurant xD maybe in a super high tier one but not in normal restaurants you go in and sit at a free table xD and most of this stuff is MAYBE done when you are eating with ur boss but come on ... if i decide to go out eating like korean with a friend we do absolutly nothing of that ever
It is close to the manners in France.
When I was in Germany if we had Half C hicken and chips we were only given a fork not a knife, this was up North in Germany in a place called Fallingbostel
Thats weird. Although as far as I remember it is allowed to eat whole chicken entirely with hands. It is an exception.
We use the fork convex only if we hold s.t. to cut with the knife. While eating we use the fork concave. It takes a while to learn to turn the fork 180°aka switch between concave and convex stance.
We do not start eating before everyone is seated at the table. Still fashion.
Men only sit down after all ladies have done so. Old fashion.
All children and youth below 18 have to stand at the table while eating. Very old Hugenott fashion - extinct.
United States:
If we put our napkin on the chair is considered as an insult to the chef.
We eat with one hand under the table... or if both hands are there, then like you, we don't put elbows on table.
We do not have our hands on the table while waiting for the food.
Eating with a fork and knife ; we cut up a food piece, then put knife at top of the edge of plate. To eat with both utensils in hand, is more of co.siderwd as hoarding.
Yes, always chew with your mouth closed !
Toasting drinks, it's bad luck to toast woth water in glass.
😊
Now, mind you, most people do not follow these guidelines.
Most are simply sloppy ... and I jave to admit, once in awhile I get sloppy as well, because the surroundings can affect you.
I'm zero for three already. I seat myself if is says to do so, I keep my hat on and I hang my coat up on my chair. I can't wait until we get to how to hold the knife and fork.
😂
No elbows on the table, wrist and hand only.
Most of those used to be the same in America. Unfortunately, I don't think that manners are taught by anybody anymore in the USA. One exception is eating with the knife and fork. I have tried to learn that, but I'm going to have to practice much more. I didn't know about the water. Must be why I didn't get any water in The Netherlands when I went to a pancake house. :)
That might be :) you always need to pay for your water, we don’t do tap water like in UK. Shame actually, because tap water is drinkable here.
As a German I can NOT confirm most of it.
In the US I'll tip 15 percent when the service isn't very good, 20 generally and 25 percent if the service is very good. FWIW.
Thanks! Good to know!
Applies in all the colonies 😂
Most young Americans eat very casually: even when fine dining, we find that most patrons are etiquette illiterate. Although we acknowledge the continental style of eating we typically use the American style of switching hands to show that we are taking our time and enjoying our dinner companion’s company: I find it disrespectful for someone to idly hold their silverware while talking to me unless they’re taking a bite. We set the utensils on the left so that the wait staff can receive our dishes from the left and grip the utensils. We always enter our seat rom the right. We wait for the person hosting us to be seated and then all follow suit. We also follow the hosts queues as for when to begin eating, etc. i never put a napkin where another person has sat: folded on the left temporarily and laid to the right when finished. If you are respectful and have a correct, non abrasive or attention-drawing personality, we’re typically very forgiving because we all come from different etiquette background.
The normal way to eat in USA is to use the fork to hold food in place with the left hand then cut it with a knife in the right hand, put knife down. Transfer the fork to the right hand and eat with right hand, eating with the left hand is considered rude.
Thanks, Steve, yes, I have seen it before. I will keep that in mind when I travel do US :=)
Most of the tips I agree with but I just wouldn’t put my napkin on the chair...I find it unhygienic... 😃 I like your videos
Thanks!:)
,it is almost the same in Australia
Oh well, I hope I am not going to offend anybody when I say that you are very European there 😉
Hello! Love your channel. My husband and I visited Austria our first time in November 2020. It was there I fell in love with schnitzel! It was literally the best food I'd ever eaten. Is there anywhere in the US you may know of that I can get quality schnitzel to purchase in store, or perhaps via mail order from Germany?
Regarding table manners; my mother taught me and my siblings the same type of table manners. I learned to position my utensils (fork tines turned down and knife parallel) to signal I have finished my meal. My mother worked in food service field.
hey Pedro, to be honest, preparing Schnitzel is not always easy, because they tent to get very dry, if you don't know what you are doing. Moreover Vienna Schnitzel is different to those that we prepare in Germany, because is made from veal. So the cuts would be different. If I was a Schnitzel lover I would start by preparing Schnitzel from pork neck slices. Those will stay nice a juicy and you won't have problems with finding them in a store. I have also a video showing how to prepare German Schnitzel so you can have a look. Other than this you can look for traditional Austrian Veal Schnitzel recipe. Good luck :)
Yes, the American way of using fork and knife are weird indeed.
I always use my left hand when using either a fork or a spoon. If I have to cut something, I use my right hand to cut with a knife. But my basic rule is fork and spoon left hand only. I imagine Germans would consider my way strange.
They would notice that you come from a foreign country 😉
@@cooking-the-world Europeans can spot an American a mile away. Or 1.6 kilometers in your case. They don't even have to be eating.
… Eating soup with a spoon in your left hand? … 😵💫
@@wernerlampe8089 Works great. Everything is eaten with my left hand, whether on a fork or a spoon.
Also different: "Düsseldorf längste Theke der Welt" and other Towns like Cologne is the Waiter in Brauhaus called "Köbes" there are very special 🤣 When your beer is empty he bring a new one without order (no free fills Americans!). If you have enough take your Bierdeckel on your Glas! Not very friendly but funny he is the Kaiser!
Hahahaha! I love the approach. I need to go there when I am in Cologne!
@@cooking-the-world Better Beer in Düsseldorf 🤣
I bet :) And than I will go to Heinemann and get the Champagne Trüffel 😍
Very similar etiquette in the UK but asking for a "doggy bag" (or any kind of take away) very would be VERY weird, would make you look very cheap a service charge of 12.5% is almost always included except in the cheapest cafe. Only the Americans seem to cut food and then swap the fork to the right hand - deeply strange... Elbows on the table in the UK is almost a criminal offence. Of course, all the rules of etiquette go out of the window if it's spaghetti for dinner at home - fork in right hand, elbows on, dipping bread whenever you like...
I would offer one exception which is when my daughter does not finish her pizza at our local (very traditional) italian restaurant, a doog-bag request is definitely in order
Interesting. Where I am from, if a plate is left with food on it, it would be assumed you don't like it enough to take it with you. Taking your leftovers home is not considered cheap, but leaving food behind is considered wasteful.
Thanks
Most of these rules apply in America but here it’s okay to set down your knife and put the fork in the right hand. Also it’s okay to take your coat to your table. And many people just don’t observe the rules at all 😆
I would not trust my coat or hat to still be there when I leave!
those are proper table manners everyone should follow. I think parents are not teaching them anymore in most American homes
That could be. Maybe they also don't know them. We have to accept that.
@@cooking-the-world I don't think it is as much as it is about "not knowing" as much as it is simply DIFFERENT. There isn't a universally accepted, true standard about such things.
My granny always told me I ate like Europeans do because I kept my knife in my left hand all the time even as a child. Of course we learned manners back then and you would be yelled at for not keeping your mouth closed and eating before the table was served.
🤣 where did you grow up?:)
Du hast einen netted Akzent.
Don't forget to use your thumb to order of you use your finger you get double. Also don't be loud,german find that to be rude. Unlike france, if you try to attempt order in german they will respect you more. But the holding of the knife and fork is ultra huge.
Hi madam! New subscriber here..from Manila Philippines
Thank you and welcome 😊 I have been dreaming for a while to go to Philippines and try some of your specialities!🤩
@@cooking-the-world Never try Bagoong, though. ;)
I think when travelling abroad, you should continue to use your native customs. Eat the way your mother taught you. Life is too short to worry about the right way to eat in a foreign country, unless you just want to try the new way. That goes for Germans visiting here. Eat your way, and be proud of your heritage.
I have never seen a German keep a k ode n fork with palm and index finger.
I'm from the South. what's a fork?
Is it still customary to say Gruss Gott when you enter a restaurant in Bavaria?
Yes Sir
It is very poor manners in the US to use a fork and knife at the same time to eat. I do love Germany I lived there as a teenager 1975-1977.
I once told my brother in law to take his hat off at the Christmas table.
I got looked at like I was the devil.
I was the only member of my family there.
American table manners have went straight to hell.
I am sorry to hear that. But I understand you, wearing a hut at the table is something what some consider impolite.
To share a table is definitely not normal.... I am a german and work in this business for 20 years, and i never heard about it!!!!
These rules apply basically in the U.S. in better restaurants but when there are children the manners seem to fly out the window and the parents don't seem to care. What I find strangle about your table manners in Germany is that Germans don't follow these rules in the U.S. I have found that when I go out in the U.S. that Germans have some of the worst manners I have seen. I even made comment to a friend of mine about this. Maybe they think we don't have manners here so they aren't required to either.
You have absolutely no idea about the rules or even the reality in Germany. There is something wrong with almost every one of the points mentioned.
I eat spaghetti with chopsticks. (:
🤣
Manches ist Quatsch:
Das mit den Servietten wird nur in Nobel-Restaurants gemacht, ansonsten nicht.
Genauso muss, man seine Klamotten nicht an den Haken hängen.
Und in den allermeisten bezahlbaren Schänken sucht man sich seinen Tisch selber aus
those rules are moms rules,,,haha.
Is it some sort of comical dinner theatre when in Germany a server thinks that they are royalty?
No.
American table manners: Do what you want!
May I ask where are you from? Lemurai
@@kimijonghighball9626 America😂
I will keep that in mind ;)
Hello! I am from USA. I actually want to go Germany restaurants but I can’t due of the bitch coronavirus.
Deine Aussprache ist schrecklich 😣
kannst du es besser??