HOW TO EAT LIKE A PRINCESS

Now that you know what to eat, it is important to know how a princess should eat. Here are some basic rules:

Do not try to put an entire hard-boiled egg in your mouth. It is pretty gross, and not at all good for a princess’ digestion.

Do not fill your spoon or fork with so much food that you cannot fit it in your mouth. You do not need to fill the entire fork or spoon—just a little bit at a time. It is much better manners, and your stomach will be much happier.

Do not use a straw to drink through your nose. All the best princesses put the straws in their mouths. And really, it is not polite to blow through the straw and make bubbles (though it is fun, and sometimes princesses have been known to do this when they are dining alone).

Do not eat mashed potatoes or spaghetti with your hands. It is very untidy and will mess up your princess clothing, plus it looks nasty, and is not a princess-like way to eat.

Do not reach for something you want unless it is right next to you. When you want the salt, or milk, or something else on the table, ask for it to be passed to you, as in, “Please pass the steamed spinach.” If someone asks you to pass something, you do not use it first and then pass it, unless you ask if that is all right, as in this example:

Princess Tika: Please pass the butter.

You: Certainly. But may I take a little first?

Princess Tika: Yes, of course.

Chew with your mouth closed. Nobody likes to see your partly chewed food. This also means you do not talk with your mouth full. If someone asks you a question like, “Have you seen the new movie about Harley, the Magical Ladybug?” you finish chewing, and maybe hold your hand up which lets the person know you heard them but want to finish chewing. Then, when you finish chewing, you can say something like, “No, I have not seen it yet,” or, if you would like to see it you can say, “No I have not seen it yet, but I would like to.” Do not say, “I heard that was the stupidest movie that was ever made in the history of all movie making,” as that would be rude. And you never know, maybe someone’s best friend helped make that movie, or the person you are talking to loved that movie. You don’t want to accidentally hurt someone feelings.

Do not blow your nose at the table. Many people do this, but it is not the best manners. If you need to blow your nose, ask to be excused and do it in the bathroom.

Do not have an eating contest. Sometimes people like to have eating contests, to see who can eat the most or the fastest, or both. This is not a good idea if you want to act like a princess. Usually eating contests give people stomach aches, or they throw-up, or both. So it’s yucky all the way around. Food is to help bodies have energy, it is enjoyable, and it is pleasant to share a meal with others. Leave the contests to someone else. (There are many contests princesses can be a part of, but eating a lot or fast is not one of them).

Do not throw food. Sometimes babies in high chairs like to throw or drop their food on the floor. It may be cute (sort of), but once someone is a little older, it is not cute, but very messy and wasteful. There are many things you can throw, but food at the table is not one of them, and princesses simply do not do that.

Do not say, “I hate this food, it’s awful.” This is another tricky point, and is sometimes hard for younger princesses, but you should try anyway. Let us say you are at a friend’s house, and they serve brussel sprouts. And let us say you hate brussel sprouts. Well, do not say this to your hostess—it could make her feel bad that she is serving something one of her guests does not like. Allow yourself to take a couple, cut it into a small piece, and maybe have a tiny bit, perhaps mixing it with some potatoes or something. If your hostess says, “You aren’t eating your brussel sprouts,” you can smile and say, “Oh, I eat them slowly and like to enjoy them with my potatoes.” Then you can change the subject and say, “These plates are so pretty,” or something like that, and you won’t have to talk anymore about the brussel sprouts.

If, as your hostess takes your plate, she mentions that you have not yet finished your brussel sprouts, you can say, “They were delicious, but I am so full as the rest of the meal was so good.” That way you give a compliment to your hostess and do not make her feel bad about the brussel sprouts.

Do not take hugh amounts of food on your plate. Sometimes, when you are very hungry, you just want to heap your plate with tons of food. Of course, once you start eating, you then find you took way too much and will not be able to finish it. That is wasteful, plus, someone else may have wanted more and it is now on your plate and won’t be eaten.

There is another reason, and that is sometimes the first people to serve themselves take so much that there is not enough for the last people to have some. You want to make sure there is enough to go around so everyone gets a little. This is hard when there is something you love, but a good princess makes sure she doesn’t take more than her share.

Burping and farting

Do not burp with your mouth open. Sometimes food will make you burp. If you need to burp, do it with your mouth closed. Burping loudly with your mouth open is not good manners, and all the best princesses agree that this is not the kind of example a princess wants to set for others.

If you are at the table and need to fart, ask to be excused for a moment. Then go to the bathroom and fart (and burp) as much as you need to.

Do not tell other people they have bad table manners. This is the hardest and trickiest part of being a princess. A princess does not want to make somebody else feel embarrassed—a princess wants to make sure other people feel comfortable in her presence. So if you see someone doing any of the above things at the table, you should smile and continue eating, especially if the other person is a grown-up. After all, a princess is very respectful to grown-ups.

Now that you know how to eat like a princess—Bon Appetit!