In an October 1985 issue of the “The New York Times,” editors published what was essentially an obituary for dining etiquette, accompanied by a notecard-size illustration of dinner party guests committing various faux pas, from reaching for the rolls to sneezing into the soup . In “Table Manners: A Casualty of Changing Times,” writer William R. Greer argued that general manners had largely been lost on the upcoming generation of working professionals, an opinion supported by experts in the fields that track such social phenomena.
“Over the last 20 years the fundamentals of ‘table manners,’ maneuvers intended to keep the appetites of dining companions intact, like closing the mouth to chew and sipping without slurping, seem to have been lost on many of America's young people,” Greer said. “In addition, a number of these young people seem unaware of the very essence of good manners, which is not to offend, according to the experts.”
