Eating at TWI :
Eating at TWI's advance class and the control they have
by: J. Martin & K. Parrish
The following is one of the handouts that is given to the people who attend "The Advanced Class" and other important functions at TWI's Rome City, Indiana campus.
When I first read it I saw a few things that struck me as being odd but passed them off as just good manners. But upon reflection and pulling out the old trusty Miss Manners book I was able to put my finger on it. First read the article and then look at my observations at the end of the handout.
The Editor
This is the guideline for the dining room at the Indiana campus of TWI.
Guidelines For The Dining Room
Table Coordinator This is a designated person who usually sits at the end of the table facing the head table. The table coordinator is responsible for that table and is in charge.
1. After everyone is seated and the food is blessed, the table coordinator picks up his/her napkin--everyone else follows.
2. Food is brought to the table coordinator, who passes it to the left.
3. When the food is all passed, the table coordinator starts eating--that is the signal to for everyone else to start. After the food is tasted, the table coordinator has the seasonings passed, one at a time.
4. When seconds are available, the table coordinator has them passed.
5. The table coordinator does not leave the table. If there is a need, the table coordinator will send someone.
6. Desert is not to be eaten until the main course is eaten. The table coordinator indicates when to start. If fresh fruit is the dessert, it is not passed until time to be eaten. Fresh fruit at breakfast is part of the meal and is passed with the rest of the food.
Napkins:
Pick up your napkins after the table coordinator does--open it and place it on your lap. Use it to blot your mouth before sipping your beverage. It is not a handkerchief. If you leave the table during a meal, place it on your chair. At the end of the meal place it on the table after the table coordinator does.
The Meal:
When food is passed, proportion the size of your serving so there is enough for everyone at the table. If there are seconds, the table coordinator will have them passed. Do not ask for them.
Note:
Food and beverages are not to leave the dining room.
Please notice the strict Military like discipline that enforced at the table.
1. The people are required to attend even if they do not want to for starters.
2. There is no allowance for special requests at all.
3. You are made to submit to an authority figure.
4. You are told to not ask for seconds at all.
5. Look at the way all of the condiments are handled, one at a time and it is my understanding that the next condiment is not passed until the first one leaves your hand. Always receive with your right hand.
Even when I was in the service I was not subjected to this kind of rules. When I consulted the book on manners written by Miss Judith Martin, I could not find anything resembling TWI's strict rules for eating.
Although seemingly harmless, this is just one example of the way all situations are handled by TWI and its followers. The statement was often made to an advanced class grad..."You are an advanced class grad...you know better than that!" When a person completes the advanced class, they are then expected to know "how to behave" in any situation with regards to leadership, headquarters and the like. What they aren't telling you is that you are an advanced class grad of being brainwashed.
