Post a picture of yourself...no not a damn mug

[Luke]

trust me, bud, you don't need a wife to make a baby.

*awaiting an awful and non-funny reference to NBA players*

[prfsnl_gmr]

Also, my wife and I tried our best to discourage the whole "princess" thing, but we have just given up on it at this point.

Hey, at least you didn't encourage it like most parents I know. What makes me cringe is when parents let their kids play dress up at the dinner table. These are the same parents who complain that "our little princess won't eat her vegetables" and wonder why.

I will admit that our daughter has come to the dinner table wearing full princess regalia on many occasions...The outfit allows us to remind her that "princesses use their fork" and "princesses don't wipe their hands on their shirt"...Also, she will eat only vegetables...and has to take "no thank you" bites of anything else.

[Hobie-wan]

trust me, bud, you don't need a wife to make a baby.

*awaiting an awful and non-funny reference to NBA players*

Well it is easier to lose bodies that you're not officially tied to.

*diverts with tasteless murder joke instead*

[Luke]

I will admit that our daughter has come to the dinner table wearing full princess regalia on many occasions...The outfit allows us to remind her that "princesses use their fork" and "princesses don't wipe their hands on their shirt"...Also, she will eat only vegetables...and has to take "no thank you" bites of anything else.

My parents were very "You will eat what is on your plate, whether you like it or not". And growing up during a time when Jell-o molds were the cat's meow, I ate a lot of food I hated. Especially the tuna fish Jell-o mold. I swear that over twenty-seven years later I can still taste its funkiness.

I had super strict parents, and they were probably the strictest at the dinner table. Manners and etiquette were strongly enforced, including proper attire. I'll put it this way, if we ate Chinese you ate with chopsticks or you didn't eat at all (and I'm talking about when I was around five years old). We also had strict "ais/bis" rules, flatware rules, and of course no one could leave their seat unless granted permission, and "May I please be excused?" didn't always grant you permission.

So when I see kids dressed up at the table, well, I'm either rolling my eyes, or perhaps I'm super jealous that I never got to dress up as Spider-Man to the table.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I had super strict parents, and they were probably the strictest at the dinner table. Manners and etiquette were strongly enforced, including proper attire. I'll put it this way, if we ate Chinese you ate with chopsticks or you didn't eat at all (and I'm talking about when I was around five years old). We also had strict "ais/bis" rules, flatware rules, and of course no one could leave their seat unless granted permission, and "May I please be excused?" didn't always grant you permission.

She's only four - and her brother is only one - so we are not quite at that point. At this age, if we can get her to use her fork and not wipe her hands on her dress, we are doing pretty well. (Like her mother, she is "strong-willed" for lack of a better term.) Whe will be ready for more formal etiquette in a few years, however. Nonetheless, she is not allowed to leave the table without permission, nor is she allowed to leave her seat at a restaurant without adult supervision. (My wife worked as a waitress for some time, and to this day, she has informed me of the dangers posed by small children running around in a restaurant.) Overall, she does well for her age.

Also, we do not want to push food on her; so, we never require her to clean her plate after she has had a "no thank you" bite of everything. That said, she must always finish everything on her plate before she is allowed to eat anything else. (In other words, she does not get dessert - or anything else - until she has finished her meal.)

[mjmjr25]

Most asian peoples don't use chopsticks any longer and haven't for some time. I'd venture more tourists use chopsticks than Chinese people.

Also, rules and "etiquette" on where your forks and elbows should be are not universal - so the idea that not doing them in someway is akin to assuming anything else in a peoples' culture is either normal or abnormal.

My wifes' parents were "formal", mine were not. All 8 children in the two families are good people with good morals despite some clearing their plates and some wearing pajamas to the dinner table.

Having 4 young kids and 23 nieces and nephews (yeah, 23) I feel confident in saying let the children determine if they want the food, let them determine when they are done, and let them wear what they want. Some will clear their plates, some will try everything, some will dress (by someone elses determination of) normal, some will sit straight and it is all going to be decided by nature, not forced nurture.

[Luke]

She's only four - and her brother is only one - so we are not quite at that point.

Four? She should be the one cooking the dinner at that age

And of course I'm just relating to a personal experience and not trying to give advice. Until I have a child of my own I personally declare myself unfit for giving advice to parents.

Most asian peoples don't use chopsticks any longer and haven't for some time. I'd venture more tourists use chopsticks than Chinese people.

I can't think of any Asian restaurant I've ever been to that requires flatware. I'm glad my parents were strict on that rule as I've never had to be the odd one out asking "Can I get a fork?".

On the flip side, this is 'Murica and plenty of comedians tell jokes with the premise of "You're not actually transported to China when you walk through the door of Dragon Flowers, so use a fork like an American. No one is impressed that you can eat with sticks".

Eh, I enjoy using chopsticks especially when you can get a hundred or so of them for free at your local take out joint.

[CRTGAMER]

Most asian peoples don't use chopsticks any longer and haven't for some time. I'd venture more tourists use chopsticks than Chinese people.

I can't think of any Asian restaurant I've ever been to that requires flatware. I'm glad my parents were strict on that rule as I've never had to be the odd one out asking "Can I get a fork?".

On the flip side, this is 'Murica and plenty of comedians tell jokes with the premise of "You're not actually transported to China when you walk through the door of Dragon Flowers, so use a fork like an American. No one is impressed that you can eat with sticks".

Eh, I enjoy using chopsticks especially when you can get a hundred or so of them for free at your local take out joint.

Most of the Chinese and Japanese restaurants I go to automatically pass out chopsticks, forks have to requested. When I was in Korea years ago, I bought a full set of Chopsticks. The smooth stainless steel chopsticks common in Korea really proves how dexterious you can be. I often I stick to the woodys though.

[o.pwuaioc]

Most asian peoples don't use chopsticks any longer and haven't for some time. I'd venture more tourists use chopsticks than Chinese people.

Asia is a huge place, so you're technically right. However, most Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese people I know still use chopsticks for all rice and noodle dishes.

[CRTGAMER]

Most asian peoples don't use chopsticks any longer and haven't for some time. I'd venture more tourists use chopsticks than Chinese people.

Asia is a huge place, so you're technically right. However, most Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese people I know still use chopsticks for all rice and noodle dishes.

There are even some countries such as the Phillipines that encourage using hands over utensils. I still cannot eat rice that way with my grubby paws. As for chopsticks, thankfully Japanese Calrose is the sticky rice.