Let me just start by saying that I do, in fact, get out. I know that one who has first-hand knowledge of towns like Lizard Lick, Honea Path, Murrell's Inlet and Bat Cave may not be first on your list of "people who know stuff" but I do, in fact, know stuff.
At the University of Southern Charm, we were offered university credits for wine tasting and hospitality and it was pretty difficult to graduate without sitting through at least one etiquette dinner. As a result, most alumni of my alma mater know how to handle themselves when presented with a multi-course meal involving various pieces of silverware.
We know that your breadplate is on your left, your water glass is on your right and the fork/spoon above your plate (rather than either side) is for dessert/coffee. We know to "butter our bites" of bread, to place your napkin in your seat when you leave the table but plan to return and the difference between "American" and "Continental" knife-wielding.
However. Despite this education, at dinner tonight I was faced with an unfamiliar utensil. I was dining alone at a restaurant in NYC and ordered a braised veal shank with risotto. The waiter replaced my butter knife with a serrated knife (for cutting the meat) and brought me a tiny little spoon. I've never used a tiny spoon to eat risotto...or veal...or anything for that matter, so I was confused. While using my fork and knife ("American" style rather than "Continental", should you care) to eat the (delicious) veal and risotto, I continued pondering the little spoon and its possible role in my dinner.
Three-quarters of the way through my (delicious) dinner, I had given up and more or less forgotten about the little spoon. And then the waiter stopped by. He asked if I was aware that he had brought me an "espresso spoon" and whether or not I cared to use it to scoop the bone marrow from the veal. Yes, he had brought me a tiny baby spoon with which I was to scoop out veal bone marrow. WTH?
Am I alone in this confusion? Am I the only person in the world who was unaware that an "espresso spoon" a) exists and b) is commonly used for scooping bone marrow? I guess I've never encountered this phenomena because I've never ordered veal on the bone before.
Wonder what I'll learn tomorrow....
2 comments:
Yes, the bone marrow is edible and some people find it quite delicious. I have, in fact, had bone marrow soup. Kinda weird, I wouldn't order it again but it does exist.
woo hoo! Clemson strikes again, because as soon as you said tiny spooon, i knew exactly that it was for the bone marrow! Tigers rule! (please don't erase my comment) haha. Also, i watch a lot of Top Chef.
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