How do gransetters define being "posh"?

I gather he might expect you to squeeze the toothpaste onto his toothbrush Petallus!

By the way I still get out the china tea set, slop bowl, sugar-tongs and napkins to serve afternoon tea for French visitors. They love it it to bits!
Just reminded of the wedding in Cold Comfort Farm where they serve ham and pickles and cider for the gentry and champagne and caviare for the locals and everyone goes home happy.

I did learn that when eating from a starched tablecloth with matching napkins, that you screw the napkin up at the end of the meal. To fold it would assume that it would be used again.
Some waiters are terrible and badly trained. When coversation is in full swing they interrupt and want to refill the wine glasses. DH then asks for the bottle to be placed on the table.
Young people should not make the mistake of thinking it is not important. My son in law had a very long session of 3 interviews for a job. During one day's interview they had lunch and were observed. He knew how to behave and also opened doors for people (that's going back to a previous thread)

Mamie - I always drink out of bone china mugs, I think the fashion for huge thick pottery is awful. I think I am showing my age! Better stop.

Prince Charles might also ask you to boil three eggs for breakfast, so he can select the one with the right consistency.

Talking of royalty .... I hear that they don't use fish knives and forks as they're considered nouveau ... so that makes me 'posh' by default!

Tupperware on the breakfast table must be posh as the Queen does it!!

I don't think I could ever be that posh, nanachrissy!

If you're the Queen you can do anything you like and you'll still be posh!

I suppose that's why they get away with those disgraceful bun-throwing dinners at Eton....

My dear dad came from money, which was lost due to a financial swindle back in the dark days of the early 20th century. As a result, he lived in a council house but had known a more gracious way of living. Hence he had very strict ideas about cutlery, tableware, manners, etc. and at the age of 11 I was often taken out and about by him on a Saturday. He loved going to the Baker Bar, a greasy spoon in Stevenage old town, but also took me to a posh cafe in nearby Hitchen, where I first learned to eat a cream slice (flaky pastry and all) with a fork. As a result, my family, children and grandchildren accept it is necessary to use a fork for cakes of all kinds. Don't think this is posh, just a way of avoiding sticky fingers!
Yet when my sister-in-law asked for a set of pastry forks, her husband and his family treated her with scorn and derision. Needless to say, I bought her a set with china handles for her next birthday, and she was really chuffed! I don't know if she has ever used them, or whether she has a crafty cake in the small hours, sitting alone with her pastry fork!

Oh yes, pastry forks! How could I have forgotten? That's another great family-divider - even more so than fish knives, I would imagine.

I think I have some some where?
But I eat bread rather than cake
Incidentally! Someone told me today, that HRM does not like the length of Kate's skirts! They are above the knee!

Ooh! I remember HRM wearing skirts that short during the 60s - what a hypocrite...

I get the cake forks out when the family are here, especially for the grandkids. Like Dahlia says, it avoids sticky fingers. And I'm no Hyacinth Bucket!

I have always used pastry forks too, such useful little tools.

I like sticky fingers, it gives you something to do inbetween cakes!!

When I think of scones and sponge cake then you don't need a pastry fork but in Germany, Austria and Switzerland they are must, otherwise you can't eat the cake on your plate in a café. Of course I have eaten Blackforest cherry cake in the UK served in as a desert and eaten with a spoon. I would describe that as definitely un-posh. Even IKEA has stainless steel ones but silverplated ones really are nice- and posh.

nanachrissy - in Italy you could have a finger bowl. Now that is posh.

I don't like the taste Maggie!

Sorry hangs head in shame

Its use is a form of inverted snobbery. Describing someone as 'posh' makes the person using the phrase feel morally superior, when all they mean is that the 'posh' person is probably better off than they are and its a good way of cutting them down to size.

Not sure about that, FlicketyB. It doesn't always relate to how 'well off' someone is, more to do with what are seen as their social pretensions.

"Social pretensions" is such a polite phrase! I like words with spadish qualities, so I just call think people with social pretensions are snobs. Short, straight to the point. That said, cake forks are not posh, they are practical. So are finger bowls after sticky or otherwise messy foods. So are napkins/serviettes (I don't care what they're called; both words do the same job). However, if people want to eat cake without forks (or chicken, or pork chops, etc), that's fine too. I do both. It depends on the kind of cake/meal. So often people seem to think there is one and only one way of doing something 'properly'. There isn't. Thinking someone is being posh because they are behaving this way or that way rather than that way or this way is just plain snobbishness. Usually it doesn't matter a jot and judging people because of trivial cultural differences that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things is very primitive.

I was once in attendance when DH had dinner with a couple of "candidates" for a job. One of them nearly blew it when he piped up "shall we order some sweet white wine for the ladies?"

I see you stuck the 'primitive' word in there bags. Wait until the others wake up - tee hee!

carol,

jess, have fun down under and a good journey!

Bags re pork chops, do you chuck the bone over your shoulder when you've finished?

[respect! emoticon]

How 'p*******e' Jingl! As if....! You wicked person!