Since I was old enough to reach the countertops, my mom has always told me to take small portions of food to save for other people who may have not had a chance to eat yet. This was the standard rule whether in my home of four children, two parents, two birds, one dog and one cat, or at any social gathering.
Lately I’ve encountered several people who clearly don’t know the rule. Have they changed? Did I miss the memo about encouraged selfishness and looking out for number one?
Another rule, which I could have possibly created on my own, is that one doesn’t take food, specifically prepared for a meeting, before the participants of the meeting have eaten first.
I organize several meetings and classes at work. Many of them are catered either for breakfast or lunch. Yesterday I picked up a delectable selection of breakfast goodies for a law enforcement class. I delivered them to the classroom and made sure everything that would be needed in order to devour a goody was provided. I did not take one of the goodies, though I hadn’t had breakfast and I was quite hungry.
A few minutes later, an administrative assistant who helped make the coffee for the class decided she wanted a hot, sugary goody, and she was going to go get one even though she’d already had a breakfast burrito and the class hadn’t had a chance to touch the food yet.
Even worse, she wanted me to go into the classroom, while the instructor was teaching, and grab her one! I got out of it temporarily by using the excuse that I’d look like a pig if I grabbed two donuts, one for me and one for her. So then she suggested she would top off the coffee, I could go in the room with her, we could both grab a donut, and no one would be the wiser.
While this still goes against my rule, the idea appealed to my biting hunger pains. So I agreed. It went as planned; she topped off the coffee, we grabbed our donuts and fled. While she pranced out of the door, happy she’d achieved her goal; I left the room hovering over the donut hoping no one would see the social faux pas I had just committed.
The donut was perfect. Gooey warmness on the inside, while slightly crispy on the outside with sugary glaze drizzled across the top. I couldn’t enjoy it though; I couldn’t enjoy it with what I had just done. I kept wondering what 25 police officers, who hadn’t had a chance to select one for themselves, would think of me. Who gave me the right to have the choice pick?
I finished my donut, licked my fingers so as not to waste any sugary goodness, and began my day’s work. I probably won’t do it again because I can’t stand the constant guilt, but is anyone else concerned with such things?
What kind of social faux pas have you committed?
8 comments:
I feel your pain about others not observing the obvious rules of etiquette. I have major issues with rude drivers.
Wait...I'm supposed to confess one of my own faux pas? (is there a correct plural form?) I'll have to think about that one...
I wondered if there was a plural form of the word too. Hmmm. If it followed standard French rules, it would be faux peaux, but I don't think that's right. ;) And it kinda sounds like an Asian dish, fo poo. Heeehee.
I think the saving some food for the people in your household who may not have eaten is sweet, but in today's mobile-connected world, it is moot, since we can always call them and ask if we should save them some dinner...
As for eating the doughnut: you went to the trouble of getting the food, aranging it, and making sure they could eat it with ease, i say that entitles you to at least a single treat as a reward! You can still be polite and operate within the boundaries of ettiquette, but our culture is less formal than it once was, so have your gooey war sugary confection....and eat it too!
wouldn't faux peaux be pronounced fo-po? like Beauxregard is Bo-regard?
still sounds like chinese food.
Yah, I think it would be pronounced fo-po. It does still sound like chinese food. :)
Thanks for having my back Eliza. (About the guiltless treat.) :)
Okay...I've got one. How about making kids cry? I've been doing that a lot lately. :-)
I sometimes wear shorts to church. And I sleep in on Sundays.
I was reading your article. It is striking to me that in the U.S.A. people don't consider finger licking a faux pas. The vast majority of people do it, and noisily! I am from Italy and have lived in different countries. It is often considered very rude and uneducated, except here :(
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