Etiquette Expert Answers Etiquette Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

I'm William Hansen an etiquette coach and I'm here to answer the internet's burning etiquette questions this is etiquette [Music] support at doly moral asks I always do my best to have good table etiquette but I still genuinely do not understand the no elbows on the table rule why is that important three exclamation marks the no elbows on the table rule goes back to the medeval times in Europe where they were e from Trestle tables they would put these benches out with sheets of wood on top if you put your elbows on the table the table

would tip and the food would go everywhere and obviously that's not very good etiquette and so it became the etiquette and not to put your elbows on the table we do really still abide by the no elbows on the table R because I think it it looks really ugly at quink is saying what's the proper way to stir the tea clockwise or anticlockwise great question and the answer is neither instead we stir in a back and four 612 612 motion gently flicking the teaspoon at the top of the cup not banging around like that thank

you very much set it back in line with the handle and enjoy RG Meister is asking actually this site I'm learning how to cut cheese for Shak cut while you live life on the edge here comes our cheese selection thank you you don't want to take the best bit of the cheese for yourself and the best bit of the cheese cheeses that are made in the round is the nose of the cheese and on this blue cheese here that would be this bit so we wouldn't cut like so because you'd be taking the creamiest bit

for yourself and that's not good manners instead we are going to cut down keeping the original shape and then we would place that cheese on our individual plate we have a question now from Joe PE Haley how do you eat your peas excellent question cue the peas thank you so much just ordered this plate of peas from the nearest available tin what we don't do is scoop like this this in really casual dining that might be permissible but in more formal dining we're going to use both the fork and the knife some people do this

I think this is more difficult to keep those peas balanced you see there we go one's gone it's much better to just spear them onto the timeses of your fork and eat like so at the etiquette man is asking is cheersing or clinking your glass on the table proper etiquette oh so many people do it but it's not actually correct in formal dining you're drinking from fine glasswar that's expensively made and if you do start smashing your glasses together you're going to hear the clink of glass all over the floor and that'll somewhat ruin the

meal we have a tweet from at Shelly Ley no but why should we care about etiquette like who the cares about which Fork goes where why does it matter they've put in Block capitals clearly have strong opinions on this etiquette is important to everybody if you are a user of Earth then you need etiquette and manners no one is exempt from that predominantly what I'm focusing on today is Western British American etiquette at droy modi10 is saying who even decides table etiquette like I'll keep the fork however I want without giving some secret message on

whether I like the food or not okay so there is some etiquette fake news that does the rounds on social media there is a graphic showing the different positions to put your Cutlery in based on whether you liked the food or not whether you're ready for a second plate it's a load of rubbish the only positions you put your ctil in when they're not being held in your hand is to indicate that you are resting or if you are finished when we're resting the CER goes like so when we're finished in Britain we would put

the Cy together but in other parts of the world that might be at a slight angle and in France the fork might be turned over that is what the waiting staff are looking for at Wasim NYC is asking is it ever okay to interrupt someone in a conversation short answer no and if it is okay which it isn't when is it an appropriate time I mean look if they're on fire then you might perhaps need to say I just stop you there uh your trousers are a light but other than that let them finish but

note to everyone else a conversation is meant to be like a game of tennis you're not meant to hold the ball and not let it go at Virgin Radio Toronto are asking is it wrong to taste a bottle of wine at a restaurant and then send it back because you don't like it well the restaurant are going to love you because you're going to be paying for the first bottle and the second bottle the only reason thank you that you can send something back is because there is a problem with the wine because it is

caught and that's where there's been a problem in the storage process by the time you get the wind about here you will know that it is caught it will stink this is from B1 AA how TF do you eat a big ass burger and a non- grotesque way well that's an excellent question thank you now this burger this is huge nobody's got a mouth that big so instead you going to deconstruct it first with your knife and fork take the top of the bun off and then cut a little bit and then eat like so

at Richard bnes is asking what Fork etiquette do you use I'm sure I'd get roasted in Europe for my very American knife and fork etiquette well yes there are some differences in Britain when we're using a knife and fork together they are both held at the same time the knife stays low we obviously don't put the knife anywhere near our mouth and the food is conveyed via the fork and in Britain the tines of the fork the prongs always face downwards Now in America they will start like this cut a little bit of food place

The Knife Down on the edge of the plate turn the fork over stab and eat pick up the knife cut another little bit of food this is an aerobic exercise this is not relaxing in any way so we don't suggest eating like that in Britain but of course in America it's perfectly correct if that's how they wish to eat Mr rickon is saying that according to Etiquette expert Emily post there are three proper ways to eat spaghetti how do you do it thank you you look so appetizing well Emily post wrote her book in America

at the turn of the 20th century now I don't know about the etiquette back then but I don't think there were three ways to eat spaghetti but today there is only one way you are not going to cut your pasta it's very bad form it is just eaten with the fork upturned in the dominant hand and you go in from the edge of your spaghetti twist and make a neat little parcel and then eat like so at LOL it's Lawrence says what is the worst etiquette sin ever if you do not say please thank you

and sorry as a human being walking on this Earth then you should be put into etiquette Room 101 and the key should be thrown away those are the absolute basic fundamental things of being a human being this one is from at sassy Frenchy do they know the etiquette in France is to arrive 15 minutes late at the host's house so they can prepare on time this is a really interesting one and I think one that is changing with different Generations so in Britain and in France and several other countries it did used to be the

etiquette that you never arrived on time to someone's house for a dinner so if I said to you come for 7:30 you would turn up at 7:40 maybe 7:45 however I think Millennials and gen Z Now are slightly panicked if their guests are not there at the time they have said so I would say really if someone now says to you 7:30 probably go for 7:35 as a host it's really nice to have those 10 15 minutes just to have a breather do those final preparations have aen and tonic and generally the friends that don't

get the 15 minutes 10 to 15 minute late rule generally the ones that don't host atkh is asking I'm absolutely shocked that so many people think think it's shitty to recline your airplane seat that's why it's there so you can recline I've never not reclined my seat my seat stays reclined always well I think the cabin crew have got something to say at takeoff and Landing about that because you're not meant to have it recline then oh yes they're from Austin Texas which explains so much I would suggest that if you are going to recline

your seat and you are right at K if you want to recline your seat you can but don't do it during the meal service do make sure you just sort of slightly check behind you it's a signal that you are going to do it and you do it slowly don't do it violently at Miss robot Butler says help this girl is telling me about horoscopes and I have literally no interest in it I don't know how to get out of this conversation try and pair them off with someone else say to them oh I've just

seen someone over there I must go and chat to before they go but have you met Anna no I'm going to introduce this person with Anna and off you go it's much nicer than just going I've got to go bye and then walking off at Brave Arcanine is asking it feels like unless I hunt down the waiter that we want the check or Bill we could be there for hours is this a thing the way to get a waiter's attention is purely body language we don't want any clicking any clapping or any flapping about instead

sort of sit back from the table make yourself a little bit taller and try and catch their eye as they go past keep the hand at the level of the eye and then when they come over please have the bill that's all you need to say at Ed aumi is asking I need a crash course on how to properly address Royals well I'm going to take the British royal family the king and queen are referred to as their Majesty but direct conversation you would say your majesty and then you would call the King sir thereafter

and queen Camila would be M and that's mam is and ham not m is and farm and every other member of the royal family if they have an hrh title would be your Royal Highness followed by Sir or ma'am according to their gender at Salt Chic is asking I'm having an internal debacle right now A lady is standing in front of me in the train she looks pregnant but not really do I ask do I offer my seat there is always that slight Jeopardy that of course you might offend somebody but the good news is

you're probably never seeing them ever again if you wish to offer your seat to anybody who looks like they need that seat more than you then yes you can do that at sha cumin is saying I hold the door open for anyone always but I would like some clarification on the optimum distance at which it is acceptable to let the door close instead of enduring That Awkward longish weight and forcing them to break into that slightly embarrassed half jog at 2.4 M no that's a joke there's no correct distance for me to give you it's

just what feels right but at least glance behind and check at bday 1961 is asking how do you get rid of house guest that overstay their welcome I have various different tactics first of all I might say to them have you got a very busy day tomorrow or I might say to people can I get anyone anything else which again is another passive aggressive piece of British etiquette mean please leave if all of that fails you can just flick the lights and hope they get the message like a nightclub well those are all of the

burning etiquette questions we've got time for today thank you very much indeed for watching etiquette support [Applause] [Music]