Pitting yourself against olive etiquette

Ms Manners,

I love olives, but I don’t know how to eat them in a nice restaurant.  How do I eat them if they aren’t pitted?

Olives generally are a finger food.

However, if the olives are on a share plate then pick up one or two olives with a fork and place them on your own plate. Once there, you can use your fingers.

You can eat olives generally in two bites and then remove the pit from your mouth discreetly with your fingers and place it on the edge of your plate.

I heard a saying once that said, “Food comes out of your mouth the way it goes in.”

Which simply means if you eat with your fingers then you can pull out the pit with your fingers.

However, if you are eating olives that are in a salad then you only ever use your fork (no fingers in your salad, no fingers in your salad!) so you remove the pit from your mouth with your fork (move the pit onto the fork with your tongue and always do this discreetly with your mouth closed) and again, placing the pit on the side of your plate.

Enjoy your new confidence and the game of etiquette.

Kind Regards,

Ms. Manners