to think that an adult shouldn't be blowing on their food to cool it down?

[Grockle]

Just wondering.

I think it's not really ok for an adult to blow on their food rather than waiting a bit for it to cool down. DP thinks it's perfectly reasonable. AIBU?

Why the fuck would you not blow on food? Is this really a thing?

You can't taste anything if it's too hot and I don't like burning my mouth so that my tongue hurts for the rest of the day. Any of the in-mouth cooling exercises are too late as the tongue is already scalded.

And of course it works, try blowing and hhhhhhhhhing on your hand. hhhhhhhhing is warm air, blowing is cold. (This is also quite hilarious if you do it at a man's balls because they will relax and shrink on cue. But you probably shouldn't do that at the dinner table.)

YABU.

Mum makes tea and coffee so hot I'm surprised it hasn't melted her mugs. If I waited till it cooled down I'd be a hundred years old by now.

Uncle T, Mumsnet is terribly, terribly important, obviously, but I don't think a thread can really be considered the ultimate arbiter on manners, can it?

When I say 'generally considered bad table manners' I mean by the trad. manners/etiquette authorities like Debretts or Miss Manners. You may not agree, but it's surely not controversial to point out that something has been generally considered bad table manners?

bertiebots

to those who think it is bad manners, why is it bad manners?

Talcum it depends. Obviously it's not the most statistically valid source of conclusions, but when there is such an overwhelming majority it's clearly very dodgy ground to assert that the polar opposite position is the generally-accepted one in society.

When I say 'generally considered bad table manners' I mean by the trad. manners/etiquette authorities like Debretts or Miss Manners. You may not agree, but it's surely not controversial to point out that something has been generally considered bad table manners?

ahhh. I see. Obviously forgot to read this week's newsletter from them.

I am just surprised because I have never ever heard this before. It seems lots on this thread haven't. Surely if it's this unknown it can't be "generally considered"? IME "generally considered" bad table manners would be things like licking a communal serving spoon and putting it back, eating with one's fingers, leaning across another diner to reach something rather than asking them to pass it, eating with your mouth open, burping, getting up and walking around rather than sitting until everybody is finished, you know, the things we encourage children not to do.

OTOH I've always heard parents (including my own, to me!) telling their children to blow on foods and I've never been aware of any age limit on this kind of behaviour.

I shall have to ask DH, he's obsessed with proclaiming things as "extremely rude" which I have never heard of before

Squoosh, you're starting to alarm me. I saw Nicolas Witchell on the news last night and had a vision of him nude-waving at gladioli.

Ha! Glad to have imprinted that image on your mind. All hail Queen Nicholas.

But those of you who hate DC being told to blow on food, what do you tell them? That they have to wait? I have always told my DC to blow on food - have I set them up for a life of being looked down on?

YANBU
It shows really bad manners to blow on food.
(You might as well wipe your nose on the tablecloth while you're at it).

At the same time, its not somebody's fault that they haven't been brought up properly to behave well at the table (a lot of people don't even sit at the table for meals)

Is it just me that's shocked at the sheer number of posters that think it IS okay to blow on your food?

bmw6 Oh yeah, I always blow on my food before I give some to the dog! Can't have my baby burning his tongue

well, it's generally considered to be poor table manners for anyone over five,

This.

How fraught and dull life would be if we followed every single "rule" that people on Mumsnet made up

Anyone who judges another for blowing on their food needs a really long look in the mirror, I think.

I think it says a lot more about the judger than the blower.

I wondered when somebody would pull out the 'judgy' word.

Avoid blowing on your food to cool it down. At an informal meal, you may use an ice cube to cool a hot meal (proper table manners).

According to this etiquette website it is more polite to start shoving ice in your food than it is to blow it .

sweetnessandlite what else would you call it?

For flip's sake, if you're at home having a nice relaxed dinner and your risotto is a bit hot, where the heck is the harm in blowing on it?

Remove the poker from your bum.

Table manners, far from being a stupid 'rule', were invented so that ALL the people sitting around the table would be able to enjoy their meal.
That's why people with good table manners don't-:
Chew with their mouths open, slurp their drinks, blow their noses and - blow on their food.
It means that everybody can enjoy their meal without feeling sick.

Nothing to do with being judgy

I don't bother with an ice cube I just pour a Slush Puppie over mine. Cools it down a treat and I am comfortable knowing I haven't contravened any etiquette by laws.

If you're risotto is a bit hot, there's no need to wolf it down straight away like a dog anyway.
Slow down a bit. It won't kill you.

(and slowing down is good for your digestion)

If you're risotto is a bit hot, there's no need to wolf it down straight away like a dog anyway.

Who said anything about 'wolfing it down like a dog'? Ironic that someone so obsessed with good manners is so very rude.

Just a suggestion, but you might want to work on your interpersonal skills as well as your table manners.

I can't believe how butt-hurt people are getting about others blowing on their own food in their own homes. Seriously, find something else to do.

Life's too short to put ice in hot food.