Rude Competitive Eating

Due to Covid concerns, we have not been able to reopen yet for Traditions and Teas, though we have been trying to for the past few months. As soon as we are able to schedule our next dates, we will be making announcements via email, social media and newspapers. 

Until then, here’s an entertaining article on a contest for a skill that drove those who cared about good table manners, absolutely nuts back in the 1920’s… A contest to see who was best at eating peas with one’s knife!!

Move over, Nathan’s! It wasn’t those New York famous hot dogs which were being eaten competitively in the early 20th century. Bad manners were also on display, with a twist (or should I say, ‘a slit’?) in this competition. In 1929, on the West Coast, one Ruth Keller was the winner of a competition of eating peas with a knife! The knives all had a special slit down the middle to help speed things along. 

 

Why Peas Leave Pod

Why they leave their plate via the knife route was demonstrated by Ruth Keller, who is the champion of California when it comes to consuming the little vegetables with only a knife as a weapon. She won the state title in competition with other girls.– A. P. photo.

Girl Proves Champion at Eating Peas With Knife

LA CRESCENTA, Dec. 28.– Eating peas with a knife, like drinking coffee with a spoon in the cup, is admittedly poor table manners. But because Ruth Keller of this town excelled at the first-named social ban, she is wearing a medal today as the fastest green pea eater in California. In competition with other pretty maidens, Miss Keller sat down to a festive board here recently with a huge bowl of the elusive little vegetables in front of her, and only a knife as a weapon. Everybody started off at a given signal. 

The only advantage possessed by the contestants over the ordinary individual who likes his peas on a knife, was that the blades used by the girls had a slit down the center. The theory of this stroke of mechanical genius, displayed by one of the contest managers, was that the peas would stick in the slit and slide down easier into the mouth. Miss Keller consumed her peas in amazingly short time. True, they skipped and staggered and skidded about on the knife, but even the most unruly pea finally succumbed to the girl's sense of balance and followed its more tractable predecessors, until all had disappeared. - Oakland Tribune, 1929

A safety pea knife with a slit down the middle, as advertised in the late 1920’s 

An Update on Our Historical Talks

We will be back soon! In the meantime, you can read all sorts of ad-free articles, curated by Maura J. Graber, on the Etiquipedia Etiquette Encyclopedia 

The Graber Olive House in Ontario California is still closed, due to Coronavirus concerns. We are normally open on weekends, and daily during olive season in late fall. We are sorry we cannot offer our Etiquette Seminars or Classes, nor our popular Talks and Teas at this time. 

Elbows Off the Table, Mable!

Promoting a fad and lowering one’s standards of good manners at the same time! – Regardless of what Miss Hazel Clark advised in 1922... (shown here demonstrating how to whiten elbows) elbows are not allowed on the table. Especially if one is a bridge luncheon guest in someone else’s home. Tsk, tsk!

Little hemispheres are rather elusive, but if that age-old decree of social etiquette that one should never put his elbows on the table has been proven all wrong. Also now popular idea that a grapefruit's only social usage is that of a morning appetizer, or as one of the innocent concomitants of salad or cocktail, has been proven fallacious. Nowadays, in really smart society, you plaster your elbows brazenly upon the festal board. Furthermore, you plaster them in your grapefruit! A whole one to each guest. Cut it in half to be sure, and one part is employed by each elbow for a parking place. Elbows inspired the new fad. 

Elbows are highly important parts of the anatomy in these days when women's sleeves are usually short or absent altogether. Some one discovered that the juice of grapefruit is softening and bleaching when applied to the elbows, and so efficacious that it seems as though the gods of feminine beauty designed it for arm angles. Someone else discovered that the way to combine business and pleasure is to play bridge with the aforesaid elbows resting in the damp, stinging nests of grapefruit. It is said to be difficult to get into the knack of it at first. The little hemispheres are exceedingly elusive. With the expanding scope of the new fad, it is said that all grapefruit-bridge players will arrive at a party equipped with their own towels and goggles.— Miss Hazel Clark, 1922

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia©️ Etiquette Encyclopedia

Upcoming Jane Austen Teas

Join us! We have new events coming up at Traditions and Tea

It's too bad really... Jane Austen would have loved our teas. 

But you have the opportunity to try them! 

Join us at the historic Graber Olive House on 

Saturday, March 7th 1:30p-3:30 pm 

and Saturday, March 14th 2:30pm-4:30 pm

for a discussion on Jane Austen and the etiquette in the film adaptations of her famous works. The discussion will be served with a delightful afternoon tea.

Price is $32.00 per person, paid in advance to secure reservation.

Call 909-983-1761 or 800-891-RSVP

New Holiday Talks with Teas

A full afternoon tea with delicious scones, finger sandwiches, desserts and more, is served at most all of our seminars, presentations and youth manners lessons and adult etiquette classes. 

We’ll be talking Tea Etiquette, Table Setting Etiquette, Dining History, Antiques for the Table and More 

as we celebrate 125 years of 

Graber Olives this year. 

Beginning Nov. 30th, we have several unique presentations scheduled throughout the holidays in La Casita for 

Traditions and Tea at Georgia Belle et Cie 

We still have open seats at the first two seatings, currently scheduled for Saturday Nov. 30th 

and Sunday Dec. 1st, from 2:30-4:30. 

Each talk is just $32.00 and full afternoon tea is served. 

Seating is limited! 

Call the Graber Olive House 

at 909-983-1761 to reserve your spot at one of our seminars.

For more information 

or to schedule a private group or class, 

call Maura Graber at 909-923-5650. 

“Tea: It’s History and Meaning”

“The story of tea is as strange and as fascinating as any that one can read. A prehistoric event dating back some 5,000 years is bound to be shrouded in many mysteries, but the exceptional qualities of tea are such that many legends developed concerning its beginnings. A highly civilized people like the Chinese considered it a special gift from heaven. In India, too, it was much the same. In Japan, a special ceremony grew around it. The habit of drinking tea is the only purely Asian custom which commands universal interest. Through it, the East and West have met — in a teacup!

Its introduction had a charming influence on our Western culture, even though a great deal of smuggling and piracy helped to bring it about. Discriminating Chinese taste insisted that tea should be drunk from porcelain; and this subsequently had a tremendous effect on world trade and the voyages of clipper ships. Art, politics, and religion were all involved. 

All this mystery and adventure stirred up many superstitions. Even today, some tea companies attach a little saying to each tea bag, such as: "to stir tea in the pot is to stir up strife."

"Floating tea leaves mean 'watch for strangers coming.' To tell the gender and the day of arrival, put them on the back of one hand and tap the hand with the other until they adhere — each tap is one day — and if they are soft leaves, it is a woman; if hard, a man."Fortune-telling from tea leaves is not solely a gypsy custom. Many people have read meanings into the shapes and groups of leaves that form in the bottom of the cup — how accurately is, of course, another matter...’’ - from Table Settings, Entertaining and Etiquette; A History and Guide

Planning Our 125th Celebrations

Yes we are, Violet! We took some time off, while we’re planning the Graber Olive House’s 125th anniversary celebrations , but we’ll soon be back. Our newest Traditions and Tea schedule (including some Downton Abbey themed teas) will be up later this month on the blog. We have some great talks planned for our 125th year, so check back with us to reserve a spot!

Celebrating Independence Day

Wishing you a happy 4th of July! 

Vintage holiday card from the early 1900’s