Since we were young, table manners is something that has been taught to us! You might remember it being said to you on multiple occasions when you were small, “Take your elbows off the table”, or “Stop using your phone while on the table”! Somewhere it remains in our systems and gets registered! However, nowadays, with the new generation and new circumstances, these rules have changed! Take a look at which rules are irrelevant now, and which ones have remained pertinent!
Getting a very urgent call, while at dinner but not able to pick it up? Or are you simply bored with the company on the table, and have no one to talk to, and looking for another person to talk to? Though socializing with new people is probably good for you, sometimes it can be a bit hard! Well, good news for you! Now it is not considered to be offensive and rude to attend phone calls at the table, or text/ respond to text messages at the table. So you can relax! There is a way out and now no etiquette rule to prevent this!
Depending on what kind of food you are eating, there are usually certain specific kinds of cutleries provided, beyond the basic cutleries! Though these are mostly etiquettes especially followed by royal families, a lot of fine-dining restaurants and relatively casual ones too have such things! While these used to imply propriety, now they have been increasingly ditched! They are cited as unnecessary and hindering a good eating experience, causing confusion on the table! Therefore, this generation has deemed them irrelevant. Basic cutlery it is, and the freedom to eat how you want is the now in-thing!
Another very important change that has occurred, is that it is now considered okay to start eating before other’s food has arrived! Though this might be awkward, sometimes you might be incredibly hungry. Well, now you don’t need to wait- simply dig in! Waiting for others is no longer considered necessary.
Therefore, you must agree, that in some ways, Gen-z has drastically changed the scene of table etiquette and manners! However, here are some things which continue to remain paramount, which they still hope to follow!
One of the things that have remained non-negotiable is the policy about not talking while chewing. That can be annoying, as it can lead to food flying out of your mouth, and not very nice. Therefore, that one has still been stuck to, by the Gen-z and is still considered an important etiquette to maintain!
Another thing which is still very important for Gen-z’s, as a part of table manners, is the need to remain soft and quiet, especially while in a restaurant. It is still frowned upon if there is a table that is super loud and disrupting and disturbing other’s conversations. It is therefore extremely important even now to be considerate to others around!
So what do you think? Which of these etiquettes would you follow and which ones would you ditch?
