Life

How to Behave In a Restaurant, Per the 1950s

by Allie Healy

Almost as bad as the dating do's and don'ts from 1938 we saw last week, these restaurant etiquette tips from a 1950s copy of Woman's Own magazine are just plain ridiculous.

The guide, titled "How to Behave in a Restaurant," was published in the October 1950 issue of the periodical and unearthed by the Daily Mail, and boy does it contain some serious gems. For example: "The man always does the ordering. Never ask the waiter yourself for anything." Nothing like making the man do all the work, am I right?

Woman's Own proceeds to advise that certain foods, such as celery, could "quite correctly be eaten with the hands." But watch out, because according to the magazine apples and pears should be approached with caution, due to the fact that "fruit causes some embarrassment." Eating a banana, I could understand. But apples and pears? Now you've lost me.

Not only did the guide discuss what to eat, but also how food should be eaten. Brace yourselves for this one: "There are certain foods which are eaten in a manner entirely different from others. For instance, asparagus is one of the few foods which can be eaten with fingers." Because screw cutlery. And just in case you were wondering how to go about eating those cherries (what restaurant is this?) they should be "put into the mouth whole and the stones carefully placed on a spoon."

I think I'll put these rules to the test during my dinner date tonight. I don't expect him to text me back after this stunt. Ladies, stick to your typical, polite restaurant behavior. This just goes to show that the past is the past for a reason.

Images: Woman's Own