BrianAndPamela.com

Yes.  Next question? 

Ok, seriously.  This question comes from a first time reader to the blog.  Culture, language, just about everything changes.  Do table manners?  Is it still rude to have your elbows on the table?  It is, but not for the reason you might think… and, there are exceptions.  Pass the barbeque sauce, it's time for dinner!  

Ok, so we were all taught as children "table manners", and I don't know about you, but they just seemed to cramp my eating style, if you know what I mean.  No slurping?  Boring.  No blowing bubbles in the milk? Come on!  Napkin in your lap? It's so inconvenient way down there!  And the one that seemed the most arbitrary of all, no elbows on the table.  Only it's not arbitrary.  Turns out the reasoning behind no elbows on the table is actually pretty solid. 

For most people, putting their elbows on the table may be more relaxed, but it induces a hunched over posture that is bad for digestion, and indicative of laziness.  Plus, opening up the posture allows more room for the stomach to expand, and that makes us all happy, doesn't it? 

Now, about those exceptions I mentioned:  Pamma points out that at Primanti Brothers sandwich shop in Pittsburgh, it's not only acceptable but pretty nearly necessary to support the sandwich with the elbows on the table.  Essentially at Primanti Bros, they take the entire lunch, fries, slaw and a pound of meat and put it between two slabs of bread.  In addition to being a heart attack with a doughy exterior, it also is supposed to be quite the Pittsburgian delicacy. 

Then there's the matter about being "rude".  Well, rude is (as is geekiness) in the eye of the beholder.  I've known people that consider it rude of me to quote all the dialog from The Hunt for Red October (including the Russian) while they are trying to watch it.  — Silly people to be sure, but I digress–  The best I can tell you is that it's the hunched over posture and slouching that is considered rude.  Most kinesiologists (people who study body language) agree that slouching or hunching:

not only screams [of] an unconfident person, but it has a physical and psychological effect on the person with the poor posture. The physical effect of slouching your shoulders forward is it causes your chest to compress inwards. Your chest compressing simulates expelling air causing you to breathe shallowly. This means if you have poor posture you will have poor breathing.
Source: http://www.ldrc.ca/contents/view_article/kinds_of_ld/307/

So there you have it, first time reader.  Now sit up straight and don't play with your food.  

(For those of you wondering why the first image is of DaVinci's last supper, just count how many of the Disciples have their elbows on the table…)

Sources:

http://www.drdaveanddee.com/elbows.html

http://www.bsu.edu/students/careers/students/interviewing/dinetips/