DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I like to eat out a lot, but her table manners are bothersome to me, bordering on embarrassing. We are both educated, and she even attended a girls' school growing up. I came from a middle-class family, but was taught to have some manners at the table.
My wife likes to put too large of a portion on her fork, then raises it to her mouth and bites off a piece of whatever she's eating (chicken breast, fish, etc.). I have tried to get her to pick up smaller pieces, but to no avail.
When we are out, I always wonder if others see her doing this and what they must think. How can I get her to use her knife and take smaller bites?
GENTLE READER: Warn her about the dangers of choking -- if not her doing so from the meat, then perhaps your doing so from disgust.