Wiping the plate

While growing up, it was considered perfectly acceptable etiquette to wipe excess gravy or meat juice off the plate with a piece of buttered bread. In fact, many times extra gravy was poured on the plate just for this. I did it, all my friends and family did it. Then one day in my 20's I was eating at the same table as an older woman with a degree in home economics. She looked at me very oddly and asked if I had been raised toi do that. I replied that yes, I had, and calmly finished the last few drops. But now I wonder, how many of you wipe the gravy off your plate? Is it a regional habit? Is it, in fact, polite behavior?

Lots of people do it, including me, when I'm eating alone at home. It is not proper, anymore than the enjoyable slurping of soup.

If I go to a buffet or we have pot luck at church, I'll definitely
try to clean my plate - I try not to let anything go to waste
(sometimes the only thing I can't get rid of are what's left of
pieces of chicken). Today when I went to the local Chinese buffet,
people who had left still had food on their plates. I couldn't
clean up the sauce (from the kung pao chicken and other dishes)
because there was too much. I don't know if it's regional or not.

quote:

Originally posted by rmcielwain


If I go to a buffet or we have pot luck at church, I'll definitely
try to clean my plate - I try not to let anything go to waste
(sometimes the only thing I can't get rid of are what's left of
pieces of chicken). Today when I went to the local Chinese buffet,
people who had left still had food on their plates. I couldn't
clean up the sauce (from the kung pao chicken and other dishes)
because there was too much. I don't know if it's regional or not.

I was taught that in a Chinese restaurant that it was an insult to leave a clean plate. Don't remember where I learned that though.

John

quote:

Originally posted by alb

While growing up, it was considered perfectly acceptable etiquette to wipe excess gravy or meat juice off the plate with a piece of buttered bread. In fact, many times extra gravy was poured on the plate just for this. I did it, all my friends and family did it. Then one day in my 20's I was eating at the same table as an older woman with a degree in home economics. She looked at me very oddly and asked if I had been raised toi do that. I replied that yes, I had, and calmly finished the last few drops. But now I wonder, how many of you wipe the gravy off your plate? Is it a regional habit? Is it, in fact, polite behavior?

I remember when I was growing up that if we had extra gravy on the table, I would put a piece of bread on my plate and put gravy on it. Boy does that bring back memories. We also use to fight sop up the juices on the meat platter. This is perfectly acceptable in my house to this day.

John

Eggs, gravies, meats,veggies, etc.,...as far as I'm concerned is all fair game to be properly sopped up by breads,rolls, or cornbread!! ..Tom B. in Eastern Kentucky.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Lots of people do it, including me, when I'm eating alone at home. It is not proper, anymore than the enjoyable slurping of soup.

Know what? I'm gonna disagree on that. "Slurping" soup might reasonably annoy other diners. Judicious wiping up of a good gravy, sauce or, in my case, salad dressing (I love the combo of bread and any kind of salad dressing) shouldn't bother anyone. In fact, in better Italian restaurants, a small bowl of artisanal virgin olive oil is provided with bread for dipping (a variant of "wiping").

Personally, I consider this such an important part of my enjoyment of a good meal that I really don't give a d_mn if it is bad manners. In fact, I think the notion of it being bad manners is one of those residua of WASPy days gone by that should be forgotten these days because, frankly, it's part of a normal meal in too many cultures other than certain northern European ones (in some, so is slurping soup!).

I figure if I'm paying what I have to pay to eat out these days, I have a right to enjoy my meal in my own way as long as I'm not disturbing other diners and I see no way that "wiping" gravy does that. The only time I might make an exception is a "business" meal or some other situation where I am eating with people I don't really know and might have need to impress, and where enjoying the food is almost not the real point of the meal, but if I'm eating out with friends and they object, I'll simply find other "friends" to eat with in future.

quote:

Originally posted by rmcielwain


Today when I went to the local Chinese buffet,
people who had left still had food on their plates. I couldn't
clean up the sauce (from the kung pao chicken and other dishes)
because there was too much. I don't know if it's regional or not.

I would NEVER let good kung pao (or any other Chinese) sauce go to waste. I just about always add a little rice to it to sop it up and eat it. I've been known to ask for more rice just for this purpose if I have to--never been turned down either.

For those of us who grew up shortly after the Depression or during World War II (when there was food rationing), cleaning your plate was a requirement set down by our parents. ("Don't leave anything on your plate when there are children starving in Europe, etc.") At that time it was even patriotic to whipe up every smidgen with a slice of bread. But now with super-size servings being offered, an overweight population (especially overweight kids) and many people flaunting an excess of money (certainly not me), it is seemingly becoming more popular not to finish everything on your plate. It is somewhat sad, since there are children still starving in Europe, and in Africa, and even in the United States!

Somebody once told me that in Italy, wiping your plate clean with bread is a complement to the chef.

I know, but I'm not into rice, despite growing up in a Filipino
household (maybe a little fried rice) - I took more after my dad,
hence why I love raw onions on my hot dogs, but that's another story.
And I have to agree with 6star's reasoning - I try and finish what
I have (and keep everything in moderation).
Meowzart, great pictures on the Cheesesteak Tour: too bad the only
thing we have that resembles a cheesesteak here is (do I dare say it?)
....subway [|)]

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

quote:

Originally posted by rmcielwain


If I go to a buffet or we have pot luck at church, I'll definitely
try to clean my plate - I try not to let anything go to waste
(sometimes the only thing I can't get rid of are what's left of
pieces of chicken). Today when I went to the local Chinese buffet,
people who had left still had food on their plates. I couldn't
clean up the sauce (from the kung pao chicken and other dishes)
because there was too much. I don't know if it's regional or not.

I was taught that in a Chinese restaurant that it was an insult to leave a clean plate. Don't remember where I learned that though.

John

Really? Hmm... I'm Chinese and I was thought that it is an insult to leave a dirty plate. Every single morsel of food had to be eaten, down to the last grain of rice. Otherwise:

1. It's a waste of good food.
2. It means you didn't like your host/cook/chef's cooking

I too was raised to sop with bread, biscuits, etc.. that's what they were there for! We especially love to do it with Italian red sauce.. sometimes I'll just make a dish of sauce and bread! And I do it in restaurants, just a little less messily than at home. At least I use bread.. at home my hubby just licks the plate..[|)]

I'm 42 and I grew up in Indiana. These days I love to cook. There is no higer praise than than seconds helpings and clean plates. I have fond memories of my grandfather who ended every meal by covering a plain slice of bread with gravy. If there was any gravy left, he got another slice of bread. Not only is cleaning up sauces acceptable in my house but also using bread to push other foods onto your fork if needed.

Many middle-eastern and north african cultures use bread as their only utensil. And a majority of their dises are sauced or stewed.

I enjoy using bread to continue the meal just a little longer. When there is gravy or sauce left over, bread used to soak and sop is ideal. When there is no bread left, my finger does almost as good a job!

For what it's worth, I found similar entries on several etiquette websites...

GRAVY
If you wish to soak up the extra gravy (and it's a compliment to the cook to do so), put a small piece of bread into the sauce and retrieve it with your fork — tines down, and one small piece of bread at a time. Common sense alert: never wipe up gravy with a piece of bread in your hand.

Not that I really gave it thought before this, but my personal habit is to soak up gravy with bread in my hand in my own home or a very casual dining environment. At a more upscale place, I don't do it.

Ah, well, anyone here like their coffee saucered and blowed?

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Ah, well, anyone here like their coffee saucered and blowed?

We use that term at work, in reference to a completed project. Anyhow, my mother saucers her coffee so as to remove any un-disolved sugar from her cup. After that she pours the coffee back in her cup, and goes about her business.

quote:

Originally posted by cleveland66

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Ah, well, anyone here like their coffee saucered and blowed?

We use that term at work, in reference to a completed project. Anyhow, my mother saucers her coffee so as to remove any un-disolved sugar from her cup. After that she pours the coffee back in her cup, and goes about her business.

I take it then, she doesn't blow on it.

As I recall, it used to be OK to saucer and blow your coffee, but you weren't supposed to fan it with your hat.

I usually sop up excess gravy with a pork chop or a cuban sandwich,if it's my dough that buy's the food, I'll sop with anything available(with the possible exception of edible undies.)

we had the CPC award at my house / Clean Plate Club. sopping / wiping whatever you want to call it was A-OK

I have always thought that (from a cook/chef point of view) that what comes back on the plate is as important as what goes out on it. The method to which one arrives at creating a clean plate is of no consequence to me. It is a compliment when the plate looks as though it can be just returned to the shelf with the clean ones.

quote:

It is a compliment when the plate looks as though it can be just returned to the shelf with the clean ones.

My sister in law used to tell her kids that when they cleaned their plate she didn't have to wash it.

One day, much to her horror, she caught two of her kids licking their plates clean and then putting them back in the cupboard with the clean ones.

There was some "splainin" to do after that!

I'm a sopper, she's a sopper, he's a sopper, wouldn't you like to be a sopper too.....

In eating bouillabasse and beef burgundy there is no better taste than a fresh baquette sopping up the sauce and gravy. When eating Mexican I always use a tortilla to sop up the different sauces. In upscale Italian places usually you will be served very good bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic, you are expected to sop.

But I have a question about the Dunking of Doughnuts into the Coffee Cup.

Is this an acceptable method of eating a doughnut? For me only a plain will work this way.

If you can do it with biscotti, I don't see why you can't do it with a doughnut. Although personally, I never liked to do it myself.

Most etiquette mavens currently have no restrictions on soppage. I'll check my wife's Judith Martin to make sure, if anyone cares that deeply.

At home (and only at home), certain soups I make are to be eaten by crushing about half a sleeve of saltine crackers directly into the bowl, turning the whole thing into a salty mush the approximate texture of papier-mache. I'm quite certain Judith Martin would not agree with this. Therefore, I've made a mental note never to do it in front of her.

When I was a kid mom would set a platter of sirloin steaks in the middle of the table. As I recall the steaks weren't that great, but dipping a piece of bread in the steak juice left in the platter sure was delicious. I find myself to this day mopping up the platter with a good piece of cheese bread, only now the steaks are good too!

I'm sure all of that extra "mopping" is where my 30 extra pounds come from.

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky Bishop


At home (and only at home), certain soups I make are to be eaten by crushing about half a sleeve of saltine crackers directly into the bowl, turning the whole thing into a salty mush the approximate texture of papier-mache. I'm quite certain Judith Martin would not agree with this. Therefore, I've made a mental note never to do it in front of her.

When I was growing up, this was the ONLY way to eat chili, crushing Ritz crackers into it before eating, now I crumble cornbread into it.

I have often wiped up the delicious juice or gravy from my plate, much to the consternation of our dog, who sits there looking at me like "Hey, that's my job, err, I mean treat."

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky Bishop


At home (and only at home), certain soups I make are to be eaten by crushing about half a sleeve of saltine crackers directly into the bowl, turning the whole thing into a salty mush the approximate texture of papier-mache. I'm quite certain Judith Martin would not agree with this. Therefore, I've made a mental note never to do it in front of her.

My friend made it through college by eating what he called Gally Stew. It consisted of one can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, One entire sleeve of Saltines, and a healthy dose of Soy Sauce. He now realizes that excessive salt isn't good for you so he leaves out the soy sauce.