Dark Elven Dining Etiquette

By: Kierath Ranamor

Dark Elven culture is one of many traditions and etiquettes; everything has its own way to be done. For those who may have the honor of visiting a Dark Elven city, or even simply dining in the company of traditionalist Dark Elves, there are some basic table manners that can go a long way towards easing both the discomfort and potential embarrassment one may suffer.

Traditional Dark Elven meals are begun with the phrase "itadakimasu" (meaning "I greatfully receive"), and conclude with a bow and the phrase "gochisosama" ("Thank you for the meal"). These traditions are often not practiced on the surface, but if you are invited to a traditional meal or have a meal prepared for you by a Dark Elf these can be crucial.

Chopsticks are widely used in Dark Elven homes and dining establishments. In addition to the manual dexterity needed to properly eat using these utensils, surface dwellers must also be aware of some of the basic rules of using them. One should not pass food with your chopsticks directly to someone else's chopsticks, nor should you point at someone or something with them. Playing with your chopsticks during a meal is also considred rude and uncouth. When serving yourself from a shared plate using chopsticks, it is considered polite to use the opposite end from which you are using for eating.

In Dark Elven culture, it is customary to wait until everyone is served before beginning eating. It is also considered to be good manners to completely empty your dishes when eating, so as to not be wasteful. If a platter or bowl of food is passed to you, you should accept it with both hands. You should use your chopsticks to separate all food into smaller pieces and be sure to eat in smaller bites. Should soup or noodles be served, however, it is customary to eat with some slurping noises, and is in fact considered strange by Dark Elves if you do not.

When pouring drinks, it is considered poor manners to only pour into your own glass. You should frequently check the glasses of those seated with you and serve them more drink if their glass is getting empty. Public drunkenness is also considered to be impolite, so if there are alcoholic drinks served you should partake of them in moderation.

Finally, it is often the case that napkins are not provided during traditional Dark Elven meals; you should be prepared and bring something to use as such for yourself. Additionally, it is extremely inappropriate to speak of bodily functions during a meal; doing so can lead to great offense being taken by Dark Elves who keep to their cultural ways more rigidly.