Elementary Dining

My Mom has saved oodles of photos from when I was an adorable tot. Of course, each one holds a special memory, but there are two that are real standouts in my book: The first is a photo of me with a wide grin sitting in my Baby Butler chair holding a Devil Dog. The second shot is me again, moments later, still with the wide grin and the Devil Dog smeared everywhere - except my mouth.

I try to avoid that particular eating technique (or lack thereof) these days. Then again, I was probably about as young as the little one pictured above, so dining etiquette wasn't yet a strong suit.

And frankly, unsurprisingly, I took to restaurant dining at a very early age - like a rubber ducky to water, so to speak. I particularly loved a Chinese restaurant near my house, where they would give me a sparkler in my sherbet on my b-day. Needless to say, I had my birthday at least five times a year. Mom was pretty serious when it came to table manners and I knew that if I wanted to be taken on culinary adventures - and enjoy a few more sparklers - abiding by her guidance was mandatory.

So, when I heard that Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park was sponsoring an "Elementary Dining" course for kids on March 27th, I couldn't help but smile at the idea of a new generation learning the ABC's of restaurant decorum, gaining their epicurean stripes - and a few sparklers of their own.

According to a press release from the restaurant:

Designed to be a fun and enriching learning experience,