I'm nervous about Thanksgiving this year. It's because of this little book I came across by a gentleman who called himself "Censor."
His true name was Oliver Bell Bunce, an American publisher and writer. In 1888, he advised people how to handle themselves with dignity.
His book is titled “DON’T; or Directions for Avoiding Improprieties in Conduct and Common Errors of Speech.”
It is 80 pages full of "Don'ts." He was not shy about telling people what to do.
If you want a proper Thanksgiving, let me share his advice from the first chapter called “At Table." Be warned, this is not going to be easy.
For starters, he says, “Don’t eat fast or gorge. Take always plenty of time. Haste is vulgar.”
It gets tougher. “Don’t drink too much wine,” he says.
Or: “Don’t talk when your mouth is full — never, in fact, have your mouth full."
And don’t spit bones out on your plate. He says, “Quietly eject them upon your fork, holding it to your lips, and then place them on the plate.”
Do we really follow such rules anymore? Consider his final words of wisdom:
“It is not necessary to point out that a dinner served and eaten in disregard of all rules would be a savage carousel. ... A code of rules generally observed lifts eating to a still higher plane, and makes it a fine art.”
Well, he makes a strong point there. We all have a relative or two who have turned eating into a fine art.
So I say, just follow their example. And have a happy Thanksgiving.
I’m Lonny Cain, and that’s my perspective.
