“Etiquette”. It is rude because we said its rude. In the west its rude to slurp your noodles, in Japan its rude not to. Etiquette is made up, it’s arbitrary, it’s fairydust.
It came from when sailors would return home from being at sea and they’d plant their elbows on either side of their plates (as they would do in the boat to prevent it from sliding as the boat rocks) “get your elbows off the table” was something they heard a lot when they were at home.
More of a “that’s not necessary” than “that’s not polite.”
This is one of those “Hey, I have a question, maybe I should Google it first” situations.
>It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of this kind of widespread etiquette rule, but there’s general agreement that it emerged during medieval times, most likely in England — and for practical reasons. Feasts and banquets in the Middle Ages were popular, jam-packed affairs, with diners packed in tightly at tables. With so little room, placing your elbows on the table could invade your neighbors’ space and possibly jostle plates, glasses, or silverware. This could lead to arguments or even physical fights. Therefore, elbows were banished from the tabletop in the name of politeness and a conflict-free dining experience.
>Similarly, the rule may have developed to prevent people from accidentally dipping their clothes into food, an issue more likely to occur at an overcrowded table.
At least in the UK, I believe part of the reason is because Navy sailors used to do it to stop their plate from moving with the ships’ motion. Because sailors used to be not from the high classes of society (at least not the officers) it was undesirable to be compared to them. This is what I’ve been told however, I may be wrong!
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Your dang elbow might catch the edge of the plate and send all the food flying.
“Etiquette”. It is rude because we said its rude. In the west its rude to slurp your noodles, in Japan its rude not to. Etiquette is made up, it’s arbitrary, it’s fairydust.
I’ve read that it’s not actually a “rude” thing.
It came from when sailors would return home from being at sea and they’d plant their elbows on either side of their plates (as they would do in the boat to prevent it from sliding as the boat rocks) “get your elbows off the table” was something they heard a lot when they were at home.
More of a “that’s not necessary” than “that’s not polite.”
Old tables only had a center leg, so were easy to tip. At least that’s what I heard. Can’t tell you if it’s true.
In some places, the table top was not attached to the structure holding it up below. So leaning on your elbows would cause the table to tip over.
Etiquette Coach on Wired answered this in a pretty easy way:
Why we don’t put elbows on the table
This is one of those “Hey, I have a question, maybe I should Google it first” situations.
>It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of this kind of widespread etiquette rule, but there’s general agreement that it emerged during medieval times, most likely in England — and for practical reasons. Feasts and banquets in the Middle Ages were popular, jam-packed affairs, with diners packed in tightly at tables. With so little room, placing your elbows on the table could invade your neighbors’ space and possibly jostle plates, glasses, or silverware. This could lead to arguments or even physical fights. Therefore, elbows were banished from the tabletop in the name of politeness and a conflict-free dining experience.
>Similarly, the rule may have developed to prevent people from accidentally dipping their clothes into food, an issue more likely to occur at an overcrowded table.
Source: Food Republic
At least in the UK, I believe part of the reason is because Navy sailors used to do it to stop their plate from moving with the ships’ motion. Because sailors used to be not from the high classes of society (at least not the officers) it was undesirable to be compared to them. This is what I’ve been told however, I may be wrong!