Fish knives and coasters

[seoladair]

Back from ILs again. The fish knives made another appearance (fish pie this time rather than fish-cakes; fish knives still unnecessary IMO!)
Anyway. More etiquette conundrums!
Apparently we're not allowed to refer to the mats we put our wine glasses on as "coasters", and the wine bottle coaster can only be described as a "coaster" not as a "wine bottle coaster". Etiquette experts, is this correct? And if so, why should I care?!!

Valium is vair posh then

Also very lazy

Posh people had silver cutlery which someone else would clean. Fish doesn't leave a taste on silver only on steel. That's why middle class people would have fish knives, because they didn't have silver. That's what I understood anyway. Betjeman's poem is about the snobbisme of the bourgeoisie, non?

I´ll never be posh then as I´ll use the inherited silverware!

I used to clean the silver cutlery when I was little it was my great grandma's.

I use fish knives, although not a fish pie.
Oh, and if they're so proud of knowing the correct terminology, why on earth are they saying sofa? It's couch!

I knew I wasn't posh - we have sofas

Ha Diddl, totally agree, why keep perfectly good cutlery go to waste because it would be 'pretentious ' to use it?
My parents got some for wedding pressie, 50 odd years ago and DF still brings them out now if he has visitors (and fish!). What harm?

You can put silver in the dishwasher, just don't put it next to the stainless steel stuff.

Actually, until the late Georgian period fish was served with two forks, so fish knives are a fairly modern invention

My much loved DGPs used to bring out their fish knives for tinned salmon for Sunday tea. They were old-fashioned Respectable Working Class and obviously I now think it's faintly ridiculous and would never do that myself, but there is something very touching about that attitude, don't you think? Saving up for something special - the fish knives - and then using it to make something else special - the salmon - into an occasion? Though that's not what the OP is talking about, I suppose.

Ooh trebles that's interesting. Do you know why?

I'm going to check the fish knives and forks if they are silver I'll cash um in.

Poems like that make me think of Betjeman as a mean-spirited snob.

I know what you mean about Betjeman - though I suppose in that poem he is mocking pretention - in itself a kind of snobbery.

Two forks to pull it apart rather than cutting fish. Would seem poor table manners now

Great thread!
Trebles - that has got to be the most interseting piece of useless information I have learned today!
Meravigliosa - i think Betjeman is being ironic - he is mocking the snobbery of people who attach importance to such things.

Like crispy duck trebles :)

I im not asking whether you like crispy duck trebles, I mean tearing at the fish as if it were said CD

Dotty2. That's actually rather sweet

They're coasters, not drinks mats. I should know, I went to a school that referred to itself as a 'public grammar school for young ladies'. I is well posh.

If they have 'wine mats' how do they feel about beer mats? Please take some to your next soiree and report the findings.

I hate fish knives because I eat with my fork in my right hand. However, I hate that insufferably snobbish Betjeman poem even more.

I'm perfectly capable of skinning and deboning a fish with an ordinary knife. I can also use it as a stabbing implement if necessary.

I would eat a fish pie with a spoon because it's a bit liquidy. If not, I'd say nothing but give the hostess a black mark. If there were bones in it I'd probably never go back again.

I'd cut a divot out of it to release the steam and blow on each spoonful as necessary.

At the end I'd probably mop it up with bread if I liked it. If I didn't, I'd leave it in a horridly congealing fish and potaoey mess as a silent reproach.

x-post lifechanger