Pancake videos. December 7, 2006 6:50 AM   Subscribe

My research suggests that old skool Mefites have a thing about pancakes. If that is indeed the case, they should look at this, and this.

(link to video; may be NSFW in some contexts; not really so compelling so don't click unless you have time to kill; does not involve cruelty to animals in any direct way)
posted by Meatbomb to MetaFilter-Related at 6:50 AM (121 comments total)

The video in the first link refuses to load for me.

Re: the second link. Do people actually eat like that? Cut up their food into little pieces, place the knife to one side and then fork into it like a little child? Jesus. Even pancakes deserve better than that.
posted by slimepuppy at 7:05 AM on December 7, 2006


Even pancakes?????
posted by OmieWise at 7:15 AM on December 7, 2006


Yeah, the first one just sits there "Buffering..." And why was there no bunny under those pancakes?
posted by antifuse at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2006


Sorry guys, the glumbert site seems to be having issues at the moment.

****SPOILER ALERT****

It is a video of people making and eating pancakes.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:22 AM on December 7, 2006


Um, HELLO, 30452, 19466 and 18329. He wasn't talking to the likes of you.

(Congrats on getting your old nick back, by the way, meatman.)
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 7:28 AM on December 7, 2006


Do people actually eat like that? Cut up their food into little pieces, place the knife to one side and then fork into it like a little child?

It's been explained to me that most Americans hold a knife and fork to cut their food, and then switch hands — moving the fork from left hand to right, or vice versa — to eat. I don't, and I had never before noticed the phenomenon; but since being told, I've witnessed that it seems to be true. This baffles me.
posted by cribcage at 8:00 AM on December 7, 2006


Where's the rabbit though? I want a rabbit with a pancake on his head!
posted by mikel at 8:02 AM on December 7, 2006


It's been explained to me that most Americans hold a knife and fork to cut their food, and then switch hands — moving the fork from left hand to right, or vice versa — to eat.

I can verify that people do that, and that there are a lot of them, and that Miss Manners may have their back—but at this point I'm not sure if "most" is accurate. There are certainly plenty of Americans who keep that fork right where they've got it. I would guess that the fork-switching trends old, and the fork-keeping trends young.

Anybody have a good dataset for cutlery habits?

Independent of which, I certainly did the cut-it-all-up-and-then-eat thing. When I was like eight.
posted by cortex at 8:12 AM on December 7, 2006


This is yummier!
posted by rajbot at 8:14 AM on December 7, 2006


and hosted from Uranus writes "He wasn't talking to the likes of you."

Oh, you're right. I thought he wrote "old school," when he really wrote "old skool." I'm sure you can see how I'd get confused.
posted by OmieWise at 8:18 AM on December 7, 2006


rajbot: that is exactly the dead video I linked to! You have SAVED THE DAY, thank you!!
posted by Meatbomb at 8:20 AM on December 7, 2006


I only made the transition from cut-cut-eat-eat to cut-eat-cut-eat late in college. The switch was brutal -- I felt like a baby fumbling around with the utensils. Eventually I figured it out, but it was hard to find ways to practice on a pasta and Hot Pockets diet.
posted by brain_drain at 8:21 AM on December 7, 2006


I still eat pancakes the eight-year-old cortex way. And it has never once occurred to me, much less been pointed out to me, that this is wrong. Think of all the contexts that I've even pancakes in over the last 25 years! Think of all the people I've unknowingly and unthinkingly disgusted! Just what I need, another neurosis. Thanks, internet!
posted by Kwine at 8:26 AM on December 7, 2006


s/even/eaten. Great, more fodder for my spelling neurosis!
posted by Kwine at 8:28 AM on December 7, 2006


I too have an 8-year-old's utensil mentality. It's when I cut the spaghettis that I get the dirtiest looks.


I'm sure you can see how I'd get confused.

You couldn't deconfuse your way out of a paper bag.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 8:30 AM on December 7, 2006


Yeah, I didn't mean the "when I was eight" comment as sting, really. I just very distinctly remember eating (pancakes, especially) in that fashion at that age, and at some point not long after being persuaded to switch to cut-and-eat. There's a certain charm in pre-cutting a good plate of flapjacks, actually—I've just taken a different path.
posted by cortex at 8:37 AM on December 7, 2006


You cut spaghetti? Look to yourself, paper bag man, look to yourself.
posted by OmieWise at 8:39 AM on December 7, 2006


It's been explained to me that most Americans hold a knife and fork to cut their food, and then switch hands

As an eating American, I can attest to that. However, from a very young age, if I was eating anything that needed to be cut with a knife, I would hold the fork in my left hand, and the knife in my right. (I am right handed.) When I eat anything that does not require a knife, I hold the fork in my right hand.

I remember when I was a kid, my parents noticed this. My dad remarked that I used my knife and fork "like they do in Germany." He was stationed in Germany in the Army.

So ya, switching must be the norm here. And I do see it a lot.
posted by The Deej at 8:46 AM on December 7, 2006


It's not just the norm, it's the correct way (according to ettiquette) for an American to use their utensils. The fork is held in the left hand (tines down), the knife in the right, one piece of food is cut, the knife is put down on the right edge of the plate, the fork is transfered to the right hand (tines up), and the bite is taken. It's not as intuitive as the European way, but it is the correct way for an American to eat.

It's worth pointing out, in response to the inevitable and justified criticisms of this method, that the European way is no less artificial: picking one's food up with one's hands is much more natural than using knife and fork. Once we dispense with the urge to label one artificial method "naturally better" than another, it becomes harder to dismiss the method you don't prefer.
posted by OmieWise at 8:54 AM on December 7, 2006


Once we dispense with the urge to label one artificial method "naturally better" than another, it becomes harder to dismiss the method you don't prefer.

No argument there. I prefer to dismiss outright the notion that any artificial method is "correct" at all. If you're not getting it on me, eat how you like.
posted by cortex at 9:04 AM on December 7, 2006


And ye spill none, eat how you wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 9:12 AM on December 7, 2006


It's not just the norm, it's the correct way (according to ettiquette) for an American to use their utensils.

I wonder if the awkwardness of switching hands is considered proper, etiquette-wise, because it slows down the eating process. In other words, you don't look like a glutton because you have to pause between bites to juggle your silverware.

Is this the reasoning?

As ettiquette-concious as I am, I have never heard of this, and don't plan on changing my steak-eating style. But interesting anyway.
posted by The Deej at 9:21 AM on December 7, 2006


My dad remarked that I used my knife and fork "like they do in Germany." He was stationed in Germany in the Army.

There's that old WWII story of the American spy who was caught by the Germans when they noticed how he held his utensils. The story seems apocryphal and I wasn't able to find it on Snopes.
posted by horsewithnoname at 10:24 AM on December 7, 2006


I think I shall have pancakes for lunch.
posted by deborah at 10:27 AM on December 7, 2006


it is the correct way for an American to eat.

That's ridiculous. I've seen authoritative sources disagree about whether etiquette permits you to place your elbow on the dinner table, or at what angle you should arrange your utensils after you've finished eating. Until Congress uses its authority to legislate table manners (see: Freedom Fries), there is no singularly "correct" way for an American to eat, just as there is no singularly "correct" way to write. Yes, some things — like omittingspacesbetweenwords, or burping at the table — are flat wrong, but the question of whether to switch utensils between hands is roughly analogous to choosing between a dash or a semicolon. Neither option rises to the level of "bad manners" or "poor etiquette."
posted by cribcage at 10:28 AM on December 7, 2006


I enjoy when people make me question whether my sarcasm-meter is functioning.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 10:37 AM on December 7, 2006


A couple short videos:

This link confirms what OmieWise says is the correct American style.

This link shows the Continental style. (AKA TheDeej Style.)
posted by The Deej at 10:39 AM on December 7, 2006


There once was a spy from Connecticut,
Who didn't know his participle from his predicate.
He captured in Düsseldorf
For switch his knife and fork,
Contrary to Germanic etiquette.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:42 AM on December 7, 2006


There's that old WWII story of the American spy who was caught by the Germans when they noticed how he held his utensils. The story seems apocryphal and I wasn't able to find it on Snopes.

You mean there's an apocryphal story about me and my dad??? Cool!!!! Oh, wait.... ok.

Nice flow, Flo.
posted by The Deej at 10:50 AM on December 7, 2006


This link confirms...

I'd wager that if you look hard enough, you'll find that somebody has specified a minimum number of times each bite must be chewed, "according to etiquette." The newsflash in this case is that anybody can publish a book, but there are only four Gospels.
posted by cribcage at 10:56 AM on December 7, 2006


cribcage writes "That's ridiculous. I've seen authoritative sources disagree about whether etiquette permits you to place your elbow on the dinner table, or at what angle you should arrange your utensils after you've finished eating."

It's not ridiculous just because you disagree with it. I've never seen sources disagree about this, which is not to say that some don't, but it is to say that I really do think that it's the correct way for Americans to eat. The post here refers to what I described as the zig-zag style and calls it "American convention." (My use of correct here is obviously predicated the context of etiquette and those who care about these things, and is no may meant to imply anything beyond convention.)
posted by OmieWise at 10:57 AM on December 7, 2006


pancakes
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:00 AM on December 7, 2006


On preview: cribcage, your argument essentially suggests that the are no rules of etiquette, since anyone can choose to authorize anything as a rule of etiquette, even eating with your hands. I distinctly remember Miss Manners, who I do consider definitive, cautioning a questioner that even though European cutlery manners are acceptable in Europe, they are not "proper" in the US. Even if there are only four gospels, certainly Judith Martin wrote one of them?
posted by OmieWise at 11:00 AM on December 7, 2006


Do people actually eat like that? Cut up their food into little pieces, place the knife to one side and then fork into it like a little child? Jesus. Even pancakes deserve better than that.

In formal dining settings you'd normally only cut one or at most two pieces before switching up your fork to eat them. Generally, I eat continental style if I have a lot of stuff to cut, and more American style if what I'm eating doesn't include a lot of cutting.

The only time I'd eat like in that video - cutting a bunch of stuff up at once and then forking it - is informally, at home, when I'm multi-tasking while eating. It leaves one hand free most of the time.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:03 AM on December 7, 2006


What's a "fork"? Doesn't everybody just carve off a piece of meat, stab it with the tip of the knife and eat it that way?

Your modern ways confuse and frighten me.
posted by quin at 11:05 AM on December 7, 2006


OmieWise, I agree with you that Miss Manners deserves status as an authority. Or maybe even the authority, although it still doesn't change the way I will eat steak. I read her column online faithfully. I love her sense of humor.

cribcage- certainly there are disagreements about ettiquette. But I don't think OmiWise is going to track you down and kill you (or me) for not following the "correct" form. (Warn me if he does come after you, though, so I will have time to run and hide. I'll do the same for you.)
posted by The Deej at 11:09 AM on December 7, 2006


quin, are you a lawyer? :)
posted by The Deej at 11:11 AM on December 7, 2006


I recently attended an ettiquette dinner, where we were instructed in the cut/switch method. The hostess also cautioned us never to pierce food with our fork in our right hand - only scoop! A physicist from the Ukraine was sitting at my table, and she was very confused about all the fork switching, but the hostess amended that the "European method" (fork in left hand, tines down!) was now generally acceptable in American circles, as well. Anecdotally, it results in less food per bite.
posted by muddgirl at 11:14 AM on December 7, 2006


"quin, are you a lawyer? :)"

Maybe, maybe not. Frozen, unfrozen... no one can be sure. What we can be sure about is that Judith Martin is sure as shit not a judge.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:16 AM on December 7, 2006


Off topic, but the fact that this post is in two paragraphs gives me a hook to complain about the increasing prevalence of multiparagraph posts on the front page. As I write [cue sound of tap-tap-tap on keys], there are seven such posts on my front page (YMMV), two of which have more than two paragraphs and the latest of which has six. Why, people? For the sake of expressing your individuality you have made the front page cluttered and confusing. At first glance, each paragraph looks like a separate post. (I'm not counting posts with blockquotes, like this, which are relatively unambiguous.) In the name of all that is holy, stop! If what you have to share can't reasonably be crammed into a single paragraph, use the handy [more inside] feature, lovingly provided by a beneficent Creator for your enjoyment. And no, I'm not about to start a whole new MetaTalk post for this, because I've seen what happens to people who post complaints on the MetaTalk front page, and it isn't pretty.

This message has been brought to you by the Council for a Better MetaFilter. No pancakes were harmed in the making of this message. Void where exhibited. And get off my lawn.
posted by languagehat at 11:22 AM on December 7, 2006


You know who else kept his fork in his left hand?
posted by horsewithnoname at 11:26 AM on December 7, 2006


Bob Dole?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:32 AM on December 7, 2006


Flo,
I like when you write comments that ryhme!
I don't understand why you didn't this time.
And even if Miss Manners was the final judge,
I eat steak how I want to, and I'll never budge.
posted by The Deej at 11:33 AM on December 7, 2006


Look, guys, I am trying hard to keep my cool and avoid too much thread moderation, but this fucking thread here is about PANCAKES, and VIDEOS about pancakes.

If you motherfucking asshole jerkfaces want to talk about knives and forks, well why don't you all just piss off to some other thread about that topic, rather than derailing this one.

You guys have created a massive trainwreck here, and I can only hope that one of the admins will be along soon to clean out all of this off topic bullshit.
posted by Meatbomb at 11:33 AM on December 7, 2006 [2 favorites]


I recently got my green card, does that mean I have to change my style of eating? Or do I wait until I get my US citizenship before, as a new American, I am allowed (compelled?) to abandon the ways of the old country?

Me so confused!
posted by dash_slot- at 11:39 AM on December 7, 2006


You know who else liked to moderate his own threads? That's right: Tommy Hilfiger. Who also, coincidentally, made videos of models in pancake makeup. He didn't fork them, though - with either hand.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:41 AM on December 7, 2006


OOOOO, we just got Meatbombed!!!!!! I'll have to check about the ettiquette of his comment though.
posted by The Deej at 11:41 AM on December 7, 2006


Rules of etiquette are like assholes. There is no punch line.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:42 AM on December 7, 2006


You got your steak in my pancakes!!!

You got your pancakes in my steak!!!
posted by The Deej at 11:45 AM on December 7, 2006


> I prefer to dismiss outright the notion that any artificial method is "correct" at all. If you're
> not getting it on me, eat how you like.

What does "correct" mean in this context? It means that table manners are class markers and, if it is your intention to display a particular set of class markers, then you need to be aware that there are some moves that mark you as a Henry James American and other moves that mark you as a Homer Simpson American. That's all.
posted by jfuller at 11:48 AM on December 7, 2006


Mmmm! Pansteaks! Pass the A1 Maple-Jalepeno Pansteak Sauce!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:48 AM on December 7, 2006


dash-slot, that question belongs in AskMe! How dare you interrupt our trainwreck with your trainwreck!
posted by The Deej at 11:49 AM on December 7, 2006


If they made A1 Maple-Jalapeno Pansteak Sauce, I would buy it by the gallon.
posted by Partial Law at 11:53 AM on December 7, 2006


It's not ridiculous just because you disagree with it.

Exactly right — just as it isn't Gospel just because you "really do think that it's the correct way for Americans to eat." Point agreed.

your argument essentially suggests that the are no rules of etiquette, since anyone can choose to authorize anything as a rule of etiquette, even eating with your hands.

Until the last clause, you're pretty much on-target. There's no logical inconsistency between telling my child not to eat Thanksgiving turkey with his hands and then turning around and telling you that, with regard to the two utensil options, neither is "incorrect." To put it another way: There are no "rules," only conventions. There are good manners, and bad.

Apply the Casablanca test and imagine a formal dinner. Jack neglects to chew one bite the prescribed 24 times. Mike neglects to chew every bite the prescribed 24 times. When Sally finishes her soup, she lays her spoon with its handle facing away from her; but when Tom finishes his soup, he lays his spoon facing six o'clock. Laura uses a dinner fork to eat her salad, and Kimberly puts her elbows on the table. Then Brad grabs a fistful of swordfish, stuff it into his mouth, then climbs onto the table and performs a striptease.

The existence of gray doesn't exclude black or white. Some things are neither right nor wrong while others remain absolutely wrong. I think Judith Martin would be the first to tell you that her columns are, foremost, entertainment; but also that the purpose of a narrowly strictured etiquette isn't to prescribe the way to eat, but a way to eat. Its necessity is the fact that — as advice columns illustrate — people do exist who find themselves absolutely lost without guidance in each and every itsy-bitsy decision in life; but the goal isn't to make every diner adjust his soup spoon toward three o'clock when he's finished. The goal is simply good manners.
posted by cribcage at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2006 [1 favorite]


If you motherfucking asshole jerkfaces want to talk about knives and forks...

See, now that kind of talk wouldn't fall into the gray area.
posted by cribcage at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2006


Bob Dole?

I'm sorry. The answer is Paul Wittgenstein - brother of Ludwig and the pianist for whom Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was written. Paul Wittgenstein.
posted by horsewithnoname at 12:09 PM on December 7, 2006


The Deej : we just got Meatbombed!!!!!!

That would explain the smoking crater and A1 sauce everywhere.
posted by quin at 12:10 PM on December 7, 2006


cribcage: To keep this on-topic, can we assume Jack is eating pancakes?
posted by The Deej at 12:10 PM on December 7, 2006


Forks, held in either hand, are very good at getting rid of hickeys. Thanks, AskMe!
posted by iconomy at 12:21 PM on December 7, 2006


Sure. You can also assume that Meatbomb is Brad.
posted by cribcage at 12:21 PM on December 7, 2006


Chicken-Fried PancakesTM?
posted by blue_beetle at 12:22 PM on December 7, 2006


Janet!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:22 PM on December 7, 2006


What's the etiquette if several philosphers are seated around a table, one fork per?
posted by cortex at 12:25 PM on December 7, 2006


I think, cribcage, that you missed this part of my comment, which seems so obvious to me that it hardly needed stating:

"(My use of correct here is obviously predicated the [sic] context of etiquette and those who care about these things, and is no may meant to imply anything beyond convention.)"
posted by OmieWise at 12:28 PM on December 7, 2006


I went to EtiquetteCon once. Even the booth babes were boring.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:31 PM on December 7, 2006


I think, cribcage, that you missed this part of my comment...

Nope. In fact, I wrote:

I've seen authoritative sources disagree...

And you replied:

...which is not to say that some don't...

So, since it appears that we've both read Judith Martin and Emily Post to find that sometimes they disagree — nevermind Letitia Baldridge or John Morgan — I'm not sure why we'd need to discuss that point further. Want to argue about syrup? I like Grade A Medium.
posted by cribcage at 12:39 PM on December 7, 2006


Ah, so it's discalimers now eh? I accept your choice of commenting weapon! En guarde!

(My use of an enecdote from my childhood in no way represents that during my childhood either of my parents were in the least bit concerned with ettiquette.)
posted by The Deej at 12:42 PM on December 7, 2006


Ooh, I can't wait to go to America so I can try out this eating method. I shall be taken for a native, until I have to ask the waitress to explain the arcane tipping procedures.

picking one's food up with one's hands is much more natural than using knife and fork.

Not really - it takes an enormous amount of skill to eat without cutlery. One of my favourite restaurants, Hansa's in Leeds - amazing Gujurati food - doesn't put cutlery on the table, and there's a little note in the menu kindly offering a knife and fork to those that need one, but suggesting that food is best eaten with the hands. I've watched in awe, my hands covered in curry, as people used to eating without cutlery deftly scoop up food with folded breads, without spilling a drop, or ever needing to lick their fingers.

cribcage: To keep this on-topic, can we assume Jack is eating pancakes?

No, you cannot!
posted by jack_mo at 12:51 PM on December 7, 2006


I was baffled by the guy measuring out the ingredients for his pancakes, and using a mixer on the batter. It seemed rather anal to me. Then I discovered he was making crepes, which presumably require going to such lengths.
posted by kindall at 12:52 PM on December 7, 2006


(Nor were my parents concerned with the correct spelling of anecdote.)
posted by The Deej at 12:56 PM on December 7, 2006


jack_mo, another tip to look like a true American: when the bill comes, casually lean over to tie your shoe. This will "accidentally" take you out of the discussion of who should pay the bill.

Also, when eating at a buffet restuarant, they usually don't allow you to take food home. This is easily overcome by wearing a suit jacket with platic bags lining the side pockets. It's not at all difficult to secretly put your leftover food into your pockets to take home with you.
posted by The Deej at 1:02 PM on December 7, 2006


I have an enecdote from my childhood. It involves a Fleet twin pack, my mother and blueberry waffles. Would anyone like to hear it? Well, fuck you, I've finally worked through it with my therapist and you people just aren't worth reliving the memory.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 1:02 PM on December 7, 2006


I've watched in awe, my hands covered in curry, as people used to eating without cutlery deftly scoop up food with folded breads, without spilling a drop, or ever needing to lick their fingers.

Those folks often don't use toilet paper either. That's when you really have to be careful about the righ-hand/left-hand thing.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 1:05 PM on December 7, 2006


and hosted from Uranus,
Do as I do: don't talk about the trauma; shove it down into a sharp, stony point in your soul.
posted by The Deej at 1:15 PM on December 7, 2006


So just who exactly is "Old School" on this site? Where is the "Old School" line drawn?
posted by saladin at 1:20 PM on December 7, 2006


May I propose we draw it at 15056 and newer?
posted by quin at 1:32 PM on December 7, 2006


That's be fine with me, quin. It would make me feel young again.
posted by Floydd at 1:47 PM on December 7, 2006


As the person most proximately responsible for this, I'm going on the record as offering a free pancake breakfast (with real maple syrup) to languagehat in atonement.

As long as you can keep your elbows off my table, you ill-mannered swine.

Also, I'm not old-s(ch,k)ool, but I will say that your favorite way to eat pancakes sucks.
posted by scrump at 1:50 PM on December 7, 2006


Knife? Knife?! What kind of weak-wristed invalid needs a knife to eat his pancakes? Cut with your fork--like a man!
posted by mr_roboto at 1:57 PM on December 7, 2006


The Deej writes "As ettiquette-concious as I am, I have never heard of this, and don't plan on changing my steak-eating style"

I heard about it when it an ex's parents noted with great amusement that I stick my knife thru the tines of the fork when cutting food. Which to me seems to be the obvious true correct way because doing so holds both pieces of food while cutting.

OmieWise writes "cribcage, your argument essentially suggests that the are no rules of etiquette, since anyone can choose to authorize anything as a rule of etiquette, even eating with your hands. "

Etiquette should be about not offending or embarassing people, anything else that is functional is mostly cliqueish, classist wankery.

Meatbomb writes "why don't you all just piss off to some other thread about that topic"

Somebody page languagehat.
posted by Mitheral at 1:58 PM on December 7, 2006


I cut with my right hand and fork with my left hand (both for cutting and eating purposes). I am Canadian. I prefer waffles to pancakes and (well made0 french toast to waffles. I refuse to use anything but Rogers Golden Syrup.

I feel closer to each and every one of you right now.
posted by The God Complex at 2:14 PM on December 7, 2006


Since scrump has mollified me, I hereby transfer my animus to the new latest offender. Yes, I can be bought. Mmm, sweet sweet maple syrup!

And as a descriptivist, I say eat your food however you like, but I will add that most Americans will look at you funny if you don't transfer your fork in the traditional manner.
posted by languagehat at 2:14 PM on December 7, 2006


OK. OK. WHICH ONE OF YOU POOR IMPULSE CONTROL JACKRABBIT SHITTING GRABASSING LUTEFISKS ATE MY SHITFUCKING PANCAKES?

I WANT ANSWERS AND/OR PANCAKES AND I WANT THEM NOW OR I'M GOING TO WIPE MY HAIRY ASS ON SOMEONE'S SPINAL CORD AND STUFF THEIR CARCASS FULL OF UGLY, ANGRY, DRUNKEN NUNS.

Seriously. What kind of wet, limp fucking noodle needs a knife to cut pancakes, and then wonders aloud if they're doing it wrong?

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. JUST USE THE FUCKING FORK, OK? FUCK.
posted by loquacious at 2:22 PM on December 7, 2006


That's the spirit!
posted by Meatbomb at 2:45 PM on December 7, 2006


Mollified you? Hell, I propitiated you, you manly slab of linguistic descriptivity lightly dotted with truffles in a piquant man sauce.
posted by scrump at 3:09 PM on December 7, 2006


Hell, he priapated you.

it is so a word
posted by cortex at 3:24 PM on December 7, 2006


Kindall is right, that first vid was kind of crepe-ish, now don't you all feel silly for argueing?
posted by Iron Rat at 3:30 PM on December 7, 2006


I just moved to the USA, and found this fork switching so confusing I had to switch to a knife free diet.

I only eat thai, japanese, chinese and erithrean food, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, soup, fruits and nuts and I CUT MY PANCAKES WITH THE FORK.

Thanksgiving was hard, I spent it locked in a closet eating turkey with my hands.
posted by Dataphage at 4:04 PM on December 7, 2006 [2 favorites]


There are no knives at Korean tables-of-eating. Spoon, chopsticks, and very rarely, a fork. Even at home, at least for me, no table knives (although they are available, in the magic cutlery box, if spreading of soft things is called for).

Though I know it is not true, I like to think this is because Koreans tend get excited easily, and the potential for STABBING TIMEs would just be too tempting.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:22 PM on December 7, 2006


Which raises the obvious question; how does one eat pancakes with chopsticks.

(Apart from 'very carefully').
posted by quin at 4:39 PM on December 7, 2006


In case that's a serious question: you open the chopsticks wide, plant the tips into the flapjack in question, then draw the tips together. This provides a scissoring action. Rotate the plate and repeat a couple of times, and you have nicely dissected your pancake, and can ferry the chunks mouthward with no fuss or muss.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:14 PM on December 7, 2006


MetaFilter: open wide and plant the tip in the flapjack.
posted by scrump at 5:38 PM on December 7, 2006 [1 favorite]


You cut with the chopsticks? Awesome. I've been using 'em for years and I never though to try that.

I'm sure there will be much amusement had by all if I every try this on a late night IHOP run.
posted by quin at 5:48 PM on December 7, 2006


(It works especially well here in Korea, where very narrow stainless steel chopsticks are the norm, rather than the wood or bamboo ones more common in Japan or China.)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:52 PM on December 7, 2006


open wide and plant the tip in the flapjack.

Sorry, I don't swing that way.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:58 PM on December 7, 2006


Oh, and stav, "ferry the chunks mouthward" is brilliant.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:00 PM on December 7, 2006


off topic bullshit

OK, meatbomb, you want on-topic? How's this?

double
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:07 PM on December 7, 2006


Shit. I guess this thread should just be deleted then.

Just as well, what with all this knife and fork and chopstick off-topic crap, the signal to noise ratio in here is pathetic.

With shameful behaviour like this we are never going to win any weblog awards.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:34 PM on December 7, 2006


well, i want to talk about the new topic, which it appears we've also gone off topic from.

americans are supposed to eat their food like this. you don't cut it up all at once, you cut it one bite at a time, switch the fork to your right hand, scoop up the small bit, eat it, then switch the fork back to your left hand for more cutting. growing up in america, i always thought it was an insanely inefficient way to eat, but them was the rules and they were strongly enforced in my home. i was always jealous of german kids, getting to stab whatever they cut with the fork in their left hand! and bring it to their mouth just like that! no switching! (and we were always told that that was the german method). so imagine my surprise when, living in ireland, i go out to dinner with my irish flatmate. new flatmate and all, trying to make a good impression, when he comments on how bad my table manners are. he definitely used "the german method." then my australian friend in scotland was horrified by how i ate, called it the "shovel method" and said it was really lazy. so, to please all these people, i destroyed my fabulous american table manners and adopted "the german method" (which is apparently the method of everyone else in the world), and now my parents are horrified when i eat with them.

also, the pancakes in the first video are obviously made by someone in the british isles (note the electric plugs, the scale for measuring flour, the sainsbury's milk for gods sake), so they are in deed called pancakes. we're the only english speaking nation that calls them crepes. and lets not even get started on biscuits.

speaking of, it's really funny to me to see people on this site talking past each other. the aussies, the usians, the british (the main english speaking contingents i see) often get into arguments based on terminology, not realising why they are disagreeing. thank you all, for this unintended source of humour for me. it makes my day.

and with that, adieu. i like anecdotes.
posted by mosessis at 7:42 PM on December 7, 2006


and meatbomb, did you really think we were going to have a constructive conversation about a really old in joke? i also really like it when i'm not sure when my sarcasm meter is working...
posted by mosessis at 7:44 PM on December 7, 2006


MetaFilter: mostly cliquish, classist wankery.
posted by Meep! Eek! at 7:46 PM on December 7, 2006


loquacious: OK. OK. WHICH ONE OF YOU POOR IMPULSE CONTROL JACKRABBIT SHITTING GRABASSING LUTEFISKS ATE MY SHITFUCKING PANCAKES?

I WANT ANSWERS AND/OR PANCAKES AND I WANT THEM NOW OR I'M GOING TO WIPE MY HAIRY ASS ON SOMEONE'S SPINAL CORD AND STUFF THEIR CARCASS FULL OF UGLY, ANGRY, DRUNKEN NUNS.


No more Deadwood repeats for ~you~, boyo.
posted by Meep! Eek! at 7:53 PM on December 7, 2006


kindall writes "Then I discovered he was making crepes, "

I think they're just British pancakes, which aren't leavened.
posted by concrete at 8:06 PM on December 7, 2006


DUDE, I Totally almost did that. Small world, eh?
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 8:22 PM on December 7, 2006


Meep! Eek! writes "MetaFilter: mostly cliquish, classist wankery."

Whoot! My first tagline.
posted by Mitheral at 8:27 PM on December 7, 2006


Furthermore, I would like to get back to the topic of missing Kafkaesque.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 8:27 PM on December 7, 2006


Am I the only person who really hates syrup? It's just too much. Confectioners sugar dissolved in butter is where it's at.
posted by dame at 9:06 PM on December 7, 2006


Am I the only person who really hates syrup? It's just too much. Confectioners sugar dissolved in butter is where it's at.

Hey, look! Dame's staying on topic! No, wait... what was the topic?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:30 PM on December 7, 2006


and meatbomb, did you really think we were going to have a constructive conversation about a really old in joke? i also really like it when i'm not sure when my sarcasm meter is working...

Is it still under warranty? Have you got it set to "ASSHOLE"? If you still aren't getting a strong reading, you might want to take it in for recalibration, mosessis.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:22 PM on December 7, 2006


I WILL CUT OFF MY RIGHT HAND...

with the knife in my left.
posted by exlotuseater at 10:51 PM on December 7, 2006


No more Deadwood repeats for ~you~, boyo.

Err, is that that cussin' cowboys and injuns TV show? I own neither TV nor a subscription to cable. I find the lack of profanity offensive.
posted by loquacious at 12:52 AM on December 8, 2006


Oh, and here's a rib-sticker: Buckwheat-farina flapjacks with huge slabs of real butter topped with blackstrap molasses.

No, you can't wimp out and use honey or maple syrup. Yes, you can add honey or maple syrup to the molasses.
posted by loquacious at 12:56 AM on December 8, 2006


As derails go, I'm quite proud of this one. Anything to piss off the Old Skoolers.

I'm on your lawn too.
posted by slimepuppy at 1:38 AM on December 8, 2006


You're not even hovering over anybody's lawn, you big wiener, and you haven't pissed anybody off, either, let alone these cthonian Old Skoolers of which you speak.

You're going to have to try a lot harder to get clear of that lingering 30K stank, son!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:51 AM on December 8, 2006

Err, is that that cussin' cowboys and injuns TV show?
Yes, that'd be the HBO show that raar and I refer to as "cocksuckin' Deadwood".
posted by scrump at 3:13 AM on December 8, 2006


I've already got ugly nuns in my torso, but thank you for playing.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:12 AM on December 8, 2006


Topic-shcmopic. I go with whatever words my soul really feels.
posted by dame at 7:32 AM on December 8, 2006


I'm on ur lawn eating ur pancakes (ummm... crepes) with a knife!
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:33 AM on December 8, 2006


I embrace my 30k stink. It's like being one of the cool kids. Don't want to be the first one to show up at a party, right?

Validate my nerdhood!
posted by slimepuppy at 5:12 PM on December 8, 2006


*digs out holepunch, validates*
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:43 PM on December 8, 2006


loquacious: Err, is that that cussin' cowboys and injuns TV show? I own neither TV nor a subscription to cable. I find the lack of profanity offensive.

Tsk. You haven't experienced Deadwood? Have you even experienced pancakes? Tell me you've at least had pancakes.
posted by Meep! Eek! at 9:11 PM on December 10, 2006


« Older Self-Link   |   Is it okay to lift meterial from a blog? Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments