Etiquette

Etiquette in this instance means table manners, an accident of food among pages which in large part relate to the foods themselves. Most societies modify individuals’ behaviour when eating together. Commensality is a complex negotiation, even within families, and conflict may be avoided by observing a variety of rituals and boundaries. Indeed, Margaret Visser (1991) would have it that manners are ‘a response to the ancient, subconscious threat of being attacked by one’s peers’ during meals.