On Aug 5, 10:01 am, Julia Altshuler > wrote:
> ChattyCathy wrote:
>
> > Well I would be so bold as to hazard a guess from the number if votes
> > for "switching" and the number of votes for "USA" that the majority of
> > "switchers" were born in the USA.
>
> Agreed. (I reread my post and see that it could be interpreted as a
> criticism of the survey. I didn't mean it that way.) I'm curious about
> the exceptions, if there are any. For table manners, Canada follows the
> British model. For driving, Canada follows the U.S. model. For miles
> and measurement, Canada does it like Europe. For speech and spelling,
> it's a blend. So I was wondering if there are folks from Canada who use
> either method depending on whom they're dining with or what the
> influences are on their table manners.

Me miss me!! Of course an American mother may have mucked up my folk
skills.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada
>
> I'm curious about how we learn these things. I don't recall my parents
> ever showing me how a knife and fork were used specifically. They'd
> correct me at the table if I did anything overtly disgusting, but they
> were lax about specifics. I do remember a time in elementary school
> when I was eating with a friend. I was holding my fork in my left fist
> and having trouble managing the meat. My friend's mother showed me how
> to hold the fork correctly. Other than that, I think I learned
> everything from observation. Now it's so ingrained that I'd have
> trouble using another method.
>
> --Lia