Sorry, Please - Manners and Etiquette

What are good table manners in Germany?

Help please because i'm going on a school trip to Germany and am petrified because i heard their table manners are different vastly from that to which one is accustomed in southern England. Can anybody, preferably a Jerry themselves, inform me of table etiquette in Germany because my teacher has said thaft German people class manners differently to British people and requently are disgusted by us over here in the land of Churchill. I heard Germans refer to us as Das Arschloch Der Welt and i want to impress not be called the worlds arsehole. Please help. Thanks everyone.

Public Comments

1. Well if the Krauts don't like our English manners , which are the best in the world , then sod 'em.
2. Well for a start dont refer to Germans as 'jerry' this is an offensive term used by the allied forces during ww2. As for table manners just eat with your fingers unless they have put a bowl out. The dirty crouts will eat the crap from a cows arse and share it.
3. Ok, I'm from NZ and when I went to Germany I just ate like I normally do. That is, with a knife and fork. They seemed to do exactly the same thing as me and I never had any complaints so I must of done something right. Easiest thing to do is just copy how other Germans are eating!
4. Don't put your hands under the table, always show your hands. It come from the olden days in germany, concealing your hands may mean you're concealing a weapon. At least that's what I learnt.
5. "When eating keep your hands on the table (even if you are eating soup), it is rude to place them on your lap or under the table. In your left hand you hold the fork and the knife in your right. Keep utensils on opposite sides of the plate face down when pausing, but when finished you should place them together on the right side. When you are done with the meal make sure to tell the host/hostess (Das hat geschmeckt! / Das war sehr lecker!), letting them know you enjoyed the meal."
6. Well for starters, burping during the meal shows your appreciation for it. Banging your beer stein declares that yes, you do indeed love the beer and would like more. Nahhh jk with you. Just be polite.
7. I think you should cancel your trip. I'm 65, and I don't think I've seen or heard the word 'Jerry' since I was about 15. I have lived in Switzerland since 1971 and have had many German friends during this time. I have never heard any of them refer to the UK as the 'Arschloch der Welt .' Churchill died in 1965 and much has changed since then. When visiting a foreign country, you observe what the local people do and try to 'fit in'. As far as table manners are concerned, then you observe what other people do, before you 'dig in'. Befor you start eating, it's normal to say 'Guten apetit'. The French say 'bon apetit'. The reason people from the UK don't say something like this might be a reflection on British cuisine. You really do have a problem don't you? I see that you specify table manners in southern England. People who were born north of Watford also have acceptable table manners and some of us northerners know how to behave all over the world.
8. Well, I am from germany and german... What I really don`t like is smacking. Things like burping or farting are really disgusting.But I guess you don`t even do this in england ;-) Other thinks are really not so important. Of course the etiquette says you should not keep your hands under the table or rest them on the table. But it is not such a big deal here like you might think. And it depends on where you are. So I think it would be good to ask someone who is longer there how you should behave...if he laughs...well: ven we germans are not as clenched as you might think ;-) And if someone tell you you do wrong...hey, you are from another country, so how can you know? Don`t think too much about it and watch how others behave. Good luck.