How to Eat Tricky Foods

Know What to Do the Next Time You're Served a Tricky Food Item

We all know certain basic table manners from when we were old enough to move from the high chair to the big table. However, there are certain food items that make us scratch our heads in puzzlement when they show up on our plates in a more formal dining situation such as a business breakfast or formal dinner. This guide will help to clear up those trickier dining questions that are most likely to cross your plate.

Asparagus

When served at a formal meal, asparagus is eaten with a knife and fork. At a more casual meal, when short pieces are served without a sauce, it is permissible to eat them with your fingers.

Artichokes

Artichoke leaves are eaten with your fingers, and pulled through your teeth to remove the meaty portion. The inedible, stringy part is placed on your plate. Once you reach the heart of the artichoke, you should use your knife and fork to cut it into bite sized pieces and dip them into the sauce.

Bacon

You may not run across a piece of bacon at a business dinner, but how about a power breakfast. Are you supposed to eat it with a knife and fork and risk sending a crispy piece flying off your plate onto your future employer's? No. A crispy piece may be eaten with your fingers, to avoid the possible aerial disaster; a soggy piece should be eaten with a knife and fork to keep the grease off your hands.

Chicken or other fowl

At a formal dinner, all portions should be eaten with a knife and fork. At more informal meals, you may eat the parts with bones (such as wings, or drumsticks) with your fingers after the meatier portions have been cut off and eaten with a knife and fork.

Chops

You should use a knife and fork to cut the meat off a chop. If it is a chop served with a frilly paper skirt, you may hold the paper to slice the meat from the bone. In an informal dining situation, it's permissible to nibble the meat from the bone by holding it with your fingers.

Corn-on-the-Cob

You may eat this vegetable with your hands, especially considering the fact that it will only show up at an informal meal.

Kebabs

Kebabs of various ethnic origins are more common these days. When served as passed hors d'oeuvres, you can eat the food while holding the skewer. If it is served on a plate, you should first use a fork to slide the food off the skewer onto your plate, before eating it with that same fork.

Lobster

When presented with a lobster, you don't have many options. To get at the meat you will have to use a combination of hands, forks, and nutcrackers. Once the meat has been extracted from the shell, use your fork to dip into the sauce and place it in your mouth.

Olives

When served as hors d'oeuvres, olives may be eaten with your fingers. If they are part of recipe, eat them with a fork along with the rest of the meal. If you find one in your cocktail, such as a martini, you should finish your beverage, and then tip your glass up until the olive drops in your mouth.

Ribs

You will most likely be served ribs at an informal party, such as a barbecue. Therefore, it's acceptable to eat ribs with your fingers.

Shrimp

When shrimp is served with the tail attached, you may hold the tail and eat it with your fingers. If the shrimp is served on a toothpick, you may eat it directly from the toothpick, using the pick as your utensil. For shrimp cocktail, you should use the seafood fork to dip the shrimp into the cocktail sauce to eat it. Fried shrimp should be eaten with a knife and fork when served on a plate, unless the tail is still attached. Then you may hold the tail and eat it with your fingers.

Tortillas

Like bacon, the way you eat a filled tortilla is dependent on its texture. If the filled tortilla is served soft, you should eat it with a knife and fork. If the tortilla has been filled and fried crispy, use your fingers to avoid cut pieces flying across the table.