The latter in this case.
I’m deeply grateful that I had a father and mother who didn’t believe in those stereotypes. Dad was always happy to do the washing up and I loved doing the drying because we had a good old gossip. He was also very good at rinsing out the saucepans before the meal started. so they were easier to clean.
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I was answering Shiba about cloth serviettes and laundry… 
When the Aunts were around… they didn’t like the menfolk in the kitchen with them… as they enjoyed a good natter…
Dad was excellent in the kitchen when it was only us. Just as well as Mum was often ill… and, of course, we kids helped out as soon as we were old enough.
Dad would get up and cook breakfast, to make sure we all had a good start to the day… and we washed up etc before heading off to school.
EDIT and being a “naval man” he knew how to knit and darn socks seems every sailor was taught these extra skills
‘Enjoy’ annoys me. Another Americanism that’s taken root in the UK.
‘Bon appétit’is so much nicer and doesn’t sound like an imperative.
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And if the hands are on the table they aren’t giving the neighbour a squeeze.
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Maybe the world has moved on since the 1950s - finger food at receptions, vernissages, conference breaks etc has been pretty common around the globe for a few decades now. If it’s a decent caterer, it’s not that difficult to handle.
Not had a MacDo apart from occasional Egg MacMuffin drive-in breakfasts when working in the States thirty odd years ago, but OTOH how on earth does one eat ribs, or satisfactorily finish off a chicken or duck leg with a knife and fork? Don’t be so Victorian about not using fingers, instead do it elegantly (and unless alone at home or in a darkened room, only use one hand) 
And then there’s all the other cuisines from the Maghreb to the Far East where one eats with one’s fingers with a piece of bread or a ball of rice.
For better or for worse ‘good manners’ are local in both time and space.
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I love the fact that as you bike up a steep hill, cars will often slow down, wind down the window and shout ‘bon courage’ accompanied by thumbs up of encouragement. In the UK, if a car slows down, it’s more likely to be to shout abuse at cyclists for daring to slow down the traffic.
Separately I was once wished ‘bonne presidentielle’ in Paris, on the day Chirac was first elected President in 1995. I can’t imagine the equivalent happening in the UK.
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I get that when driving my ancient SAAB convertible in Paris 
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1st May 1997…in our area everyone was doing similar. Bus journey to work on 2nd was like a party.
You cannot compare a hamburger with a three course meal.
Following local practice is the right thing to do, so comparing the Magreb with the shires is ridiculous.
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I hate greasy, sticky fingers. Nothing to do with politesse, I just can’t abide it. Also I always dress with my shirt outside the bottoms, so very handy for comfort, but it does mean I have to wear each shirt for just one day.
The other hand needed to hold the paper plate presumably while the hand holding the sausage roll is gesticulating at someone. Meanwhile the wine glass that you had to leave on a nearby table has been drunk from by another buffet eater who thought it was theirs.
Unless you have one of those ridiculous glass holders hooked to your plate.
Of course talking with your mouth full is rude but a buffet prompts the habit which is certainly not elegant.
A buffet is not hygenic either when introduced to another guest who you shake hands with, the same hand that you have licked to remove the crumbs from the last morsel you ate and their hand which has probably touched who knows what but hey, they seem like a nice person.
Give me a Victorian china plate, a knife and fork and a seat at the table thankyou.
I know it’s mainly a cultural difference but it may also be because the UK has only had one change of Head of State in the last 70+ years.
Absolutely!
Quite apart from exposing food to an endless selection of customers, with varying manners and customs, not to mention children who think it is a test-and-see smorgasbord, there is no knowing for how long and at what moderate temperature the food has been sitting around. I’m not sure if I would want to just skim off from the more recently replenished top layer, or dig beneath to find the marinating lower layer.
Service industry scientific roulette!
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I comfort myself with the thought, justified or otherwise, that we must be exposed to as many germs as possible in order to build up resistance.
Think how indigenous peoples had no defence against certain European diseases when they were colonised. 
Except when one has Algerian friends who invite one to eat with them. Rural France is changing too. In our area we have a solid Turkish population, who use mix of hands and cutlery.
But were I ever to eat a NcDonalds I probably wouldn’t do it with my hands as they are not really designed for that.
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I was volunteering at the local clothes bank/Vestiboutique this morning…there they told me (by complete coincidence) that they believed ‘bon appétit’ is considered impolite now…they couldn’t explain why. We asked them so what do you say, and their answer was ‘nothing’,ie there is no fallback phrase. I find that surprising…
Fyi this came from a group of 65-70 year old French ladies who were mostly former teachers… anyone else had this comment?
well, that phrase echoes up and down our streets as we take a stroll of an early evening… and chat with neighbours…
all of us discussing what delicious foods we’ll be munching on soon, very soon, lovely smells coming from the kitchens… yummy
so now I shall ask the question… why are they all saying “bon appetit” to one another,… if it is impolite
And one needs to know which hand not to use…
It seems that even the poorest, scruffiest rural Aveyronnais bring their own, seriously expensive Laguiole clasp knives to communal meals. And all our local wealthy Dutch second home owners have latched on to that one. There’s a few in our walking group who bring them along for our picnics. Whereas given my well- established propensity for losing small valuable things, I’m happier making do with an €8 Spanish clasp knife…
