Texans: Hats on or off while eating? (Dallas, San Antonio: move, food)

[sinking]

Originally Posted by grf430

Why is it bad manners?

Seriously. It makes absolutely no sense to be offended if someone has a piece of clothing on the top of their head if their are four walls and ceiling surrounding him or if he is sitting at a table but not if he is standing on a sidewalk. Why is it okay to wear a shirt indoors but not a hat? I would prefer someone wear a hat at the table to keep hair from falling in the food. Is the only reason anyone thinks this "rule" makes sense is because their parents taught them and their parents parents taught their parents and so on?

People who worry about if someone else is wearing a hat indoors need to not worry so much about things that do not affect them.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by ktulu7

I don't like to wear my shoes in the house either, and automatically start to take them off at people's front door, since that's how I was raised too. (My time in Japan also reinforced this big-time.) That would be another question... Who else was raised not to wear shoes in the house, and who still adheres to this?

I wasn't raised not to wear shoes in the house but it's something I don't do. It just seems like you're tracking in dirt etc into your home. So I remove my shoes about 90% of the time...only keep them on when I'm doing stuff around the house or only home for a few minutes etc.

Back to my original question, removing hats before dinner is practiced world wide as mentioned above, including Asian countries. Although here in the US, it seems like you only hear about it in Texas. And even in Texas it seems to be dying out...maybe due to all the transplants?

[grf430]

Originally Posted by SVTRay

Back to my original question, removing hats before dinner is practiced world wide as mentioned above, including Asian countries. Although here in the US, it seems like you only hear about it in Texas. And even in Texas it seems to be dying out...maybe due to all the transplants?

Or maybe it has to due with the fact that social norms and customs are changing. Do you ever leave your home in shorts and/or a t-shirt? Well, 70 years ago you wouldn't have. Things change.

I suppose it's easier for people who don't like change to blame 'dem darn hippies from Kalifornia for wreckin' mah state!'

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by grf430

I suppose it's easier for people who don't like change to blame 'dem darn hippies from Kalifornia for wreckin' mah state!'

We do get a lot of transplants who come from areas with different customs but the idea of hats off at the table being good manors pre-dates the United States. So this isn't a California vs Texas thing. Next poll, does California Cowboys take their hats off at the dinner table

[SVTRay]

I'm glad I started a similar poll in the California section.

A person over there mentioned something I found very interesting. I've suspected a lot of the Hat ethitics was in fact English. But a person over on the California board stated that it was customary for Spanish people to wear hats indoors. Now with that in mind Western State's like Texas was settled by the Spanish. So there is a heavy Spanish influence in these States...long live Tex-Mex!

Anyhow, I guess it basically comes down to this, those people who remove their hats at the dinner table are practicing an English custom while those who wear hats at the dinner table are practicing a Spanish custom.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by jtur88

There is nothing "gross" about the way anybody eats. Eating customs vary widely around the world, and the way that you were brought up to eat does not define a universal standard of what is gross.

To an Arab, the fact that your left hand is even visible to him while you are eating is gross, and watching you eat might cause a traditional Arab to get up and leave the room in disgust.

In South India, no utensils at all are used, everything is finger food, even rice dipped in sauce. Yet, they have a distinct set of "table manners" which children are taught to adhere to. They, too, would probably be grossed out watching you eat.

In eastern Europe, bread that touches you mouth never goes back to the table. You break the bread apart into bits-sized pieces. The way you eat bread is "truly gross".

You're contradicting yourself, but I thought we were talking about Texas which is in the U.S. I guess I misunderstood the entire thread.

[Dusty Rhodes]

In the west African Rainforest there are no eating utensils, well.......I don't normally consider fingers as utensils.

[joebaldknobber]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

If you are coming into my house, you better be removing your hat once you get inside.

Now there are exceptions to every rule.

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by jtur88

There is nothing "gross" about the way anybody eats. Eating customs vary widely around the world, and the way that you were brought up to eat does not define a universal standard of what is gross.

To an Arab, the fact that your left hand is even visible to him while you are eating is gross, and watching you eat might cause a traditional Arab to get up and leave the room in disgust.

In South India, no utensils at all are used, everything is finger food, even rice dipped in sauce. Yet, they have a distinct set of "table manners" which children are taught to adhere to. They, too, would probably be grossed out watching you eat.

In eastern Europe, bread that touches you mouth never goes back to the table. You break the bread apart into bits-sized pieces. The way you eat bread is "truly gross".

Big whop-o deal! This is a thread started in a Texan forum asking Texans if they eat with their hat on or off. To stretch it into India and Europe is outrageous. But since you did, I'm quite sure they find certain things their countrymen do to be poor manners as well. As they've been saying, new times, new lack of manners. Yoy know, it's a fast age we're in now, who has time to take two seconds to observe manners we were taught growing up. Let it all slide. I hate to think what it'll be like in another decade.

To an Arab, the fact that your left hand is even visible to him while you are eating is gross, and watching you eat might cause a traditional Arab to get up and leave the room in disgust. I don't know too much about Arabs or their customs, so a wild guess here but perhaps this is the hand they wipe their ass with? Regardless, the entire statement is totally out of line IMO.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

Big whop-o deal! This is a thread started in a Texan forum asking Texans if they eat with their hat on or off. To stretch it into India and Europe is outrageous......

To an Arab, the fact that your left hand is even visible to him while you are eating is gross, and watching you eat might cause a traditional Arab to get up and leave the room in disgust. I don't know too much about Arabs or their customs, so a wild guess here but perhaps this is the hand they wipe their ass with? Regardless, the entire statement is totally out of line IMO.

Exactly, Lonestar.....as a native Texan, I don't give a rat's patootie about what some Arab (or any other foreigner) thinks of our eating customs. If they don't like it when they come over here, they can just put it where the sun don't shine.

Amazing how a simple question lead to all that other garbage!