10-2-vocabulary-summary

Unit 10 Etiquette
Reading 2 How table manners became polite
If you don`t like having to sit up straight(adj.端正的) and keep your elbows (n.手肘) off the table, be grateful(v.感謝) you weren`t a child of America’s early settlers(n.移民者). Back then, children didn’t even get to sit at the table. They stood behind the adults and ate whatever the adults gave them.
Later, children were allowed to sit at the table, but they couldn’t speak unless an adult spoke to them. They couldn’t ask for a dish, either. They had to wait until a grownup offered it to them. It was also considered rude to fidget(n.煩躁), sing, or look at someone else who was eating.
Table manners are even older then tables. About 9,000 years ago, people cooked soups in pots. They dipped(v.浸) spoons of wood or bone into the cooking pot to eat. Sometimes they didn’t use spoons, they just picked out pieces of meat with their fingers.
Eating with the fingers has never disappeared. Some cultures still follow this custom. Certain(adj.某個) groups use only the first three fingers of the right hand. In northern(adj.北方的) India, some diners(n.用餐者) use only the fingertips(n.指尖) of the right hand, but in the south, using both hands is okay. In fact, far more people eat with fingers or chopsticks than use forks and spoons. But everyone has rules about eating politely.
Table manners became quite important in Europe in the 1100s. That’s when people developed the idea of courtesy(n.禮貌), or how to behave in court(n.奉承). Soon these rules began appearing in written texts(經句;聖經經句).
The rules about eating were meant to make the experience pleasant(adj.愉快得), thoughtful(adj.體貼的), and tidy(adj.整齊的). Early texts instructed diners to keep their elbows down and not to speak with their mouths full. Polite diners were not to pick their teeth with their knives or be greedy.
In those days, people didn’t have regular(adj.有規則的) dinner tables. At mealtimes, wooden boards were laid out and covered with cloth, therefore the expression “setting the table.” At banquets(n.宴會;盛宴), no individual(adj.個人的) plates were used, only large serving platters(n.大盤子). Two people shared each soup bowl and used squares of stale bread is plates(n.碟子). These edible plates were called trenchers. After the meal, they were given to the poor.
In the 1300s, the Renaissance(n.文藝復興) arrived. So did the fork. As new table customs evolved, people began to eat from plates, and everyone had his owe cup. Fingers were to be wiped on napkins, not tablecloths. Bones were not to be thrown on the floor, but left on the plate. Manners(n.風格;種類) kept moving toward cleanliness and order.
Nowadays people use many simple table manners without thinking. You probably say “please” and “thank you,” and ask for food to be passed to you, rather than reaching over everyone for it.
There are many other rules, especially in more formal settings, such as parties, where you’re supposed to use the right fork. If you are not sure what to do, just watch the host or hostess and do what he or she dose. Even if you use the wrong fork, you’ll be following the basic principle(n.原則) of table manners: Think about others and make dining as pleasant as possible.


Mean idea:
Table manners have evolved greatly over the years, but they have always existed. The table manners of the early American settlers were very strict, but different culture has different rules. The rules have hanged a lot over the years, but they were all made to keep eating clean and in order. Although we may not always we the proper utensils or know how to behave, we should keep in mind that the purpose of table manners is to ensure a pleasant and tidy dining experience for everyone.