DEAR MISS MANNERS: One of my favorite dishes at a local restaurant includes strips of chicken, marinated and grilled on small skewers. What is the proper way to eat this?
Does one pick up each end of the skewer and daintily nibble away? Or does the diner use cutlery to slide the chicken off the skewer and proceed with a knife and fork?
I have tried both methods. Other diners appear to take no notice of either, but I want to do this properly. The eating establishment is very casual -- a ribs and wings place, not a linen tablecloth in sight. Does that matter?
GENTLE READER: Grasp one end of the skewer and use your fork to push everything onto the plate, where it may then be eaten in the normal way.
In addition to this method being formal enough for any occasion, so you don’t need to check for tablecloths, Miss Manners prefers this method because even she is not dainty enough to remove the last piece of meat from the bottom of the skewer without the danger of sending pieces flying -- or, more to the point, skewering herself.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)