TO HELL WITH SOCIAL GRACES TABLE MANNERS AND ETIQUETTE

ETIQUETTE and SOCIAL GRACES

TO HELL WITH SOCIAL GRACES TABLE MANNERS and ETIQUETTE

A Mulla Nasrudin Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

On every occasion when we invite guests to dine with us, before the guests arrive, my wife gives me a moral lecture on social graces and table manners, especially on how I must talk less, let the guests eat first, take small helpings,  etiquette social graces…blah…blah…blah…basically on how I should “look after” the guests and not enjoy my own meal and I almost end up starving myself and feeling miserable.

One evening, I turned the tables on her. 

When we sat for dinner, I told the esteemed guests and my fellow diners this delightful Mulla Nasrudin story – and then I went ahead and enjoyed my meal to my heart’s content.

       

Once a renowned philosopher was traveling through the wise Mulla Nasrudin’s village and he asked Mulla Nasrudin if he knew of any good place to eat.

Nasrudin suggested an eatery and the scholar, hungry for conversation, invited Mulla Nasrudin to join him for the meal.

Much obliged, Mulla Nasrudin accompanied the scholar to the restaurant, where they asked the waiter about the special dish of the day.

“Fish! Fresh Fried Fish!” replied the waiter.

“Bring us two,” Mulla Nasrudin ordered.

A few minutes later, the waiter brought out a large platter with two fried fish on it, one large fried fish and one small fried fish which was much smaller than the larger one.

Without hesitating, Mulla Nasrudin took the larger of the fish and put in on his own plate.

The scholar, giving Nasrudin a look of intense disbelief, proceeded to tell him that what he had just done was not only blatantly selfish, but that it violated the  principles of almost every known moral, religious, and ethical systems and started to deliver a moral lecture and pontificated on the subject of etiquette for a long time.

Mulla Nasrudin calmly listened to the philosopher’s long winded extempore moral lecture patiently and when the scholar had finally exhausted his speech, Nasrudin asked the visitor, “Well, Sir, please tell me, what would you have done?”

       

“I being a conscientious and cultured human being would have taken the smaller fish for myself,” pontificated the scholar taking a high moral ground.

“Good. Here you are,” Mulla Nasrudin said, and placed the smaller fish on the scholar’s plate.

Moral of the Story 


Remember, when you are hungry and delicious food is put in front of you, to Hell with Social Graces, Table Manners and Etiquette. Just dig in and bash on regardless. 


Happy Eating !

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
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Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

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