Is there ANY polite way to eat ribs/wings?

[Ikonomi]

I mean, damn. While it's true that these foods taste extremely delicious due to the visceral tearing and shredding of the meat from the bone, there's still the tradeoff of getting sauce and meat juice all over your fingers, lips, and in some cases, chin (and shirt, if you are truly... er, visceral).

I've examined this issue from quite a few sides, and I can't think of any really effective way to eat ribs and wings other than just picking them up and going at it. Knife-and-fork is too tedious (and looks silly). You can't really hold them with a napkin unless you want to wick away all that delicious sauce. Chopsticks are right out.

I mean, normally, I'd have no problem with this, but it seems like there may be an occasion for discretion. What of impressing polite company, for example? I'm not sure people like senators, professors, or hot girls think it's cool to have barbeque sauce in your beard, and I'd like to know if there's a good alternative to the traditional hold-and-bite routine.

I may be willing to sacrifice the satisfaction you get from this method for a more graceful technique. But maybe not.

 

[Spoooon]

Nope. But fortunately, most places that serve wings and ribs are the types of places that you wouldn't go to impress anyone.

edit: I think in formal settings, you are only allowed to eat what you can get with a fork and knife. In less formal settings, you can lift a bone to your mouth, but with one hand.

edit2: When I eat wings and ribs, I usually use only one hand and reserve the other one for drinking with. If I have to pull pieces apart, I use a fork and the messy hand.

 

[rival]

ribs are not a 'dinner date' meal....

they're ugly, barbarian like, and thats why they're so damn good

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: rival
ribs are not a 'dinner date' meal....

they're ugly, barbarian like, and thats why they're so damn good

Hehe

Cheers rival :beer:

 

[Chrono]

Mmmmmm ribs and wings.
that's what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
heh.

 

[SackOfAllTrades]

If only the bone was made out of cheese and bacon...

 

[Ikonomi]

Originally posted by: SackOfAllTrades
If only the bone was made out of cheese and bacon...

I'm SURE there's a market for that. :Q

(Thanks Atkins!!)

 

[GnomeCop]

eat them in the bathroom

 

[kag]

I had ribs at the restaurant last week end and I managed to eat them with one hand on them, and the other one handling the fork. I don't think I really got messy around my mouth..... I dunno.... I don't eat ribs often but I didn't find it especially hard to eat "cleanly"

 

[Bassyhead]

no real way to eat them cleanly. sometimes being messy can be fun

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: rival
ribs are not a 'dinner date' meal....

they're ugly, barbarian like, and thats why they're so damn good

Hehe

Cheers rival :beer:

Double :beer:!

 

[WobbleWobble]

I can't do ribs cleanly, but I can do wings no problem. I just use a fork and I have my ways

Doesn't look funny either, I don't think.

 

[Amorphus]

In some formal dinners, if you get a messy meal, they're going to be de-boned, or you're going to have a finger bowl to rinse your hands. Eat slowly, and carefully.

 

[Cougar]

I eat wings with a fork and it drives my cousin crazy. I hold the wing in one hand, pierce it with my fork, and pull the meat off. I've done it for so long that I've actually gotten pretty good at getting most of the meat off. I've still got to go after any left over bits of meat the cannibalistic way, but it's still way cleaner than just going ape on the wings.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Eat them at home, in front of the TV.