[BlindTlk] Dining Etiquette

[Danielle Ledet]

Maybe you'd be more comfortable practicing in a home setting
surrounded by family.

On 10/26/18, Jason Perenski via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi,
> I hope this is the right place to ask about this. My ability to
> gracefully cut food with a fork and knife is abysmal. This is an
> uncomfortable situation to discuss since dining is so essential for
> social and business situations, and these skills are usually so
> incredibly obvious and second nature for most people. I know everyone
> struggles with something, but as an otherwise independent and
> successful young adult, this topic feels like something I shouldn’t be
> stumbling over.
>
> I don't eat a lot of meat or food that needs to be cut in general, but
> I'd like to look professional in more formal social and business
> settings now that I'm about to leave college. And frankly, I also
> don't want to be the blind person who always orders something handheld
> when eating in public.
>
> Unfortunately, no one taught me when I was younger, which is a
> widespread problem for blind children. I've read some guides online
> about proper table etiquette and how to cut something without looking
> like a slob. And I've even bought playdough to practice with. But I'm
> still lousy at it. I'm curious if anyone here has other tips or tricks
> to get more comfortable and graceful at this. To be as detailed as
> possible, here's what sometimes happens:
>
> 1. I start cutting along the back (convex) portion of the fork, but
> I'm only partially successful at separating a bite. I end up with a
> tiny bit of meat clinging to the large piece and it's difficult to
> tell when I've successfully finished cutting something. This happens a
> lot with larger, rounded cuts, where a good edge to start from isn’t
> available or obvious. I place the fork in and position the knife along
> the back of it, but the thing to be cut extends well past the tines of
> the fork to either side. In theory I should easily be able to tell
> when the knife scrapes the plate and there's no more meat to cut, but
> in practice I'm not always successful at it.
> 2. While cutting, I start shifting the thing to be cut around the
> plate and, occasionally, start actually sliding the plate around. I
> don't know if this has something to do with technique or perhaps even
> strength. This happens less and less with experience, but it's still
> uncomfortable when it does.
> 3. This all becomes a bigger challenge with more complicated dishes
> (meat with sauce on top, or plates with several other items).
>
> Is this something you've ever related to, or is it just me? Were you
> taught any alternative techniques that might be helpful? Am I missing
> something obvious? Is my technique possibly incorrect? Are there meals
> you find easier to handle than others? All of this makes me feel like
> a bit of an inept loser for a skill that shouldn't be difficult. If
> you have skills or techniques to make this process more seamless and
> graceful, I'd love to hear them.
>
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