A Nonsensical Table-Manner? Not Quite.
I am certain you are aware of the prissy, overly proper, and decidedly English manner of sipping one's tea, while extending one's little finger. Surely, you have never thought much of it beyond a, "Why on earth does it matter?" Well... It turns out that it did matter and was original done for very practical reasons.
Forks were not a commodity that the people of Medieval Europe had at their dinner tables. Instead, they ate with a different set of utensils, their fingers. When the modern child first discovers this fact, the little one's eyes widen in terror as they dream up a ghastly image of savages gnawing on chicken legs; but that picture could not be farther from the truth. European aristocracy had a very refined fashion of eating with their fingers, accompanied by a set of very strict etiquette.
When set upon the Medieval feasting table, dishes of sauces, jams, and the like were not served with a spoon. So, the Medieval diner dipped their little finger into the sauce dish and spread the flavorful embellishment upon whatever food they were eating. A strict rule was thereby enforced that one was not to place their little finger upon any other surface throughout the entirety of the meal, including when one drank from a cup.
Even after the fork was invented, the aristocracy continued to practice this rule; and consequentially, it became a symbol of their kind. Though most people don't realize it today, this habit originally had nothing to do with appearing refined and proper, but everything to do with cleanliness and polite table-manners.
Forks were not a commodity that the people of Medieval Europe had at their dinner tables. Instead, they ate with a different set of utensils, their fingers. When the modern child first discovers this fact, the little one's eyes widen in terror as they dream up a ghastly image of savages gnawing on chicken legs; but that picture could not be farther from the truth. European aristocracy had a very refined fashion of eating with their fingers, accompanied by a set of very strict etiquette.
When set upon the Medieval feasting table, dishes of sauces, jams, and the like were not served with a spoon. So, the Medieval diner dipped their little finger into the sauce dish and spread the flavorful embellishment upon whatever food they were eating. A strict rule was thereby enforced that one was not to place their little finger upon any other surface throughout the entirety of the meal, including when one drank from a cup.
Even after the fork was invented, the aristocracy continued to practice this rule; and consequentially, it became a symbol of their kind. Though most people don't realize it today, this habit originally had nothing to do with appearing refined and proper, but everything to do with cleanliness and polite table-manners.