Manners for Missionaries 2: "Table Manners" (1994)

This video is aimed at teaching etiquette to everyone but is aimed primarily at full-time LDS missionaries. While not an official production of either Brigham Young University or the LDS Church, the creators were faculty and instructors for both BYU and the Provo MTC, and the film has been shown at many missions through the world over the past two decades.
This segment covers how to behave at a meal.

[@saintinlower48]

Some people are not raised in circumstances where etiquette is taught or practiced, including some church members. It doesn't make them bad people. I appreciate this video teaching specific ways to follow polite and respectful practices. And I'm sure young men or young women looking for some guidelines will be grateful for the teachings or reminders also.

Thank you for sharing these respectful table manners.

[@cumorahwatson1967]

Gosh! No wonder, my mother and people like her, were so impressed by the missionaries of the past. We've got alot, to live up too❤ My mother, still teaches all of her children, these manners today. In my home, they are very much alive, and well.👍 But l most add.... The many times, my mother has to remind me of them would make you, laugh!!! Get those elbows, off the table. ( insert name) 😂😂😂 Thank you, so much for sharing!

[@piarossi4555]

This is actually really good 👍. Miss Manners said "good manners make everyone feel more comfortable". BUT missionaries are notoriously hungry and most church members give them a bit of leeway. "seconds? thirds? there's plenty!".

[@C4DNerd]

lol I remember when the Mission President's wife showed this video to us during a zone conference. None of us took it seriously XD

[@kevinroylancephotography9437]

We were shown this in the MTC then I ate on the couch 99% of the time in Brazil

[@ViaticalTree]

I stood up on the right side of my chair once. I got sent home 3 weeks into my mission. That was the last time I ever made that mistake.

[@guyfawkes9951]

My takeaway from this is that all Mormon young people are, in fact, raised on farms like cattle and have never been around humans prior to their mission. Otherwise why on EARTH would grown people need to be told to chew their food and swallow it before taking more food into their mouths? 75% of this should be taught before grade school and the rest isn't common to normal human life. I would think it was highly strange if any adult asked for my permission to eat fried chicken with their hands. And I've known about "use the spoon away from yourself" rule when eating soup, but I've never, ever seen anyone actually do so!

[@ChristianRogersMoneyBruh]

Some cultures are very insistent on table manners, though it may seem weird to us in the western world. Though eating fried chicken with a fork is probably weird everywhere

[@atrain84]

He speared the whole potato and ate it?!?! What is this world coming to? So glad that I’m told exactly how to eat and cut food. Kill me now.

[@blujay1608]

I'm pretty ticked this etiquette video doesn't have them eating "from the outside, in" meaning using the outermost silverware first. That is an extremely basic rule. Edit: They corrected this issue two minutes later lol

[@tkisango-price73]

Is this for missionaries because I think that you should be okay as long as you are not talking while eating or chewing with your mouth

[@ViaticalTree]

What should I use to chew? My butt? I doubt that would go over well in a proper dinner setting.

[@PhdAAA]

It is funny that the video does not have eating customs remotely like some I have observed in the world. In much of Africa things are quite a bit different, as just one example. My gggrandfather ate poi on his mission to the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii) I do not think this is how he ate poi...

[@MelissaServicePack7Lucky7]

Are you freaking kidding me??!! These people are like robots!! We are human beings! You can't possibly expect us to eat like that in real life! That's insane! But I must admit, when that guy starts cleaning his fingernails with the butter knife and picking his teeth, that was hillarious!!! And I don't like the sleeves on the old mans shirt. They look weird. And I burp at the dinner table all the time. I think it's totally ok to burp, as long as you excuse yourself afterwards. But on a seriously serious note here, I think the comment about making sure your front teeth don't hit the silverware while you eat, is just absurd! What if you have long front teeth like me? It's next to impossible for me to eat anything without clicking my stupid front teeth on the silverware. These manners and expectations are very unrealistic. There is no way I would ever conform to that insanity. And I can't believe you are saying it's ok to drop something on the floor in a restaurant, such as a fork or spoon, and leave it there for an employee to pick up. That's very rude! Don't get me wrong, I love Jesus, but this is waaay over the edge.

I agree with you. I am sure the culture has changed quite a bit as time goes on. Also people were raised different ways and in different settings. You are welcome to have a casual dinner or hosting a casual meal. I am personally grateful for these table manners. I believe it is very good and polite to the host but of course no one should be forced to do anything these days.

[@jcee6886]

🤔Ohhhhh, butter it, then eat it. Gotcha 😉

[@MelissaServicePack7Lucky7]

I would love to have these people over to my house for dinner. I'd love to see if they really follow all these crazy guidelines. And I can tell you this, if they drop anything on my clean floor, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm gonna tell them to get off their lazy butts and pick it up themselves!

[@anniversary6365]

Melissa Service Pack 7 Lol I think that part about dropping a utensil was referred to a restaurant scenery

[@brecken19972]

Some of these tips are rather useful and I will start to use from now one; However several of these are rather detrimental to the message this Video is trying to teach. 0:47 Blaming the missionaries way of eating for someone else's lack of interest in the gospel is just weird. Those people may never be interested and only showed up because they wanted to eat with their friends. Now I can understand the lack of interest if the missionaries acted rude or "ungodly" and giving a false impression of what a member of the Church is. 5:34 "Don't crumble bread or crackers in your soup" What the hell kind of rule is that? It's a God giving right to crumble crackers into soup. Putting saltines or Grilled Cheese into my Tomato soup is the best way to eat it. 7:12 okay the only kind of cook what would ever be offended by someone salting food is some chef at a upper class bougie restaurant, not at someones home. 7:38 - 7:55 First off, taking food you dont want and just playing with it on your plate is a waste and rude. Its far better to just pass it along or say no thanks if directly offered. 9:06 "Leave your napkin on your chair when you leave" I know this is an actual thing you are supposed to do in fancy dining situations but a napkin is a napkin and depending on the chair you can leave a stain and bits of food that the host now needs to clean. 9:54 Just use a paper napkin, no one needs to see you put your chewed food on a spoon. 12:15 "leave your food/utensil on the floor" No no no, that just rude, someone can slip or trip on it; once that happens you are responsible for the harm that came to that person. Some servers cant see below their waist because they have that massive tray that hold the food getting in the way. Sure ask for another one but just pick it up and put it aside. Don't be a selfish narcissistic jerk; yes the host or servers are to take care of their guests but there is a limit for how far a guest expects of their host before it turns into abuse and disrespecting said host.