Table manners: Do Nigerians really observe them?

Wikipedia describes table manners as the “rules of etiquette used while eating, which may also include the appropriate use of utensils and the standards for how strictly these rules are to be enforced.“ Table manners range from placing your napkin well, the right sitting position, whether you are sitting on a mat or at the […]

Wikipedia describes table manners as the “rules of etiquette used while eating, which may also include the appropriate use of utensils and the standards for how strictly these rules are to be enforced.“ Table manners range from placing your napkin well, the right sitting position, whether you are sitting on a mat or at the table; the right use of cutlery for the right dish, the way and how the dish is eaten and compliments given before and after the meal. The rules at home are usually simpler than those at formal occasions. 
All over the world, different cultures observe different rules for table manners and many of them evolved out of practicality. Each family or group sets its own standards for how strictly these rules should be enforced. Similarly in Nigeria, table manners vary from place to place and, most of what people know as etiquettes is what they learnt either from their parents or   others; therefore, what may be acceptable in one family may appear offensive to another. Lifextra spoke with a cross section of people on what they term as table manners.
Happy Edet, who works as a secretary with a private firm in Abuja says: ”Table manners portray how well one adheres to rules on the table in and outside the house. These rules are mostly set by westerners but   Nigerians still adhere to them because they show how well-behaved you are at the table. I would want my children to practice the rules. One thing that turns me off while eating or after eating is belching, because discharging gas loudly in the public is annoying.”
Another respondent, a working mother of three, who asked not to be named, doubts if most Africans observe the rules of etiquette, though she tries to inculcate good eating habits in her children: “Table manners are common/general rules that are expected to be observed while eating, these include the ways to behave while eating, as well as the correct use of cutlery, praying before eating, sitting properly while eating, not speaking while there is food in your mouth, chewing with mouth closed, not chewing fast, not making noise with cutlery while eating etc.” She adds that what she hates most is, however, talking with a mouth full of food.
Ononamadu Ifunaya, a civil servant, says she will teach her children the rules of etiquette: “I would like me and my future family to strictly adhere to these table manners. I personally find making loud sounds while eating to be offensive because the sound can be irritating to people sitting around you and embarrassing as well.”
But as they say, it is different strokes for different folks. Chidinma Okoro, a business woman and mother of two, has a different opinion: “Table manners in Nigeria? That’s not our culture, we are borrowing it from the west. In those days our parents ate first before us and when we are served to eat, we all get to eat from a plate, how do you observe table manners with that? I can say categorically that only a small percentage of Nigerians observe table manners and you can only see such people from rich homes, therefore, it is not our culture and we are just learning it from the western world and it is being taught in our schools.  Observing table manners is stressful and a waste of time.”
Good table manners may seem to be the something foreign but equipping oneself  with and inculcating the basic rules of etiquette in your children, promotes good behavior and is a sign of proper upbringing in public. Finally, no matter where one finds oneself, it is good to put a nice smile on your face during the meal; it makes your host more comfortable that you appreciate the gesture of inviting you even before you say thank you to them after the meal.