Idea: How do we know if we have good or bad table manners?  What if our good manners make us eat like assholes?

1-2 paragraphs explaining why the TEDxSeattle audience needs to hear this idea now

Americans are obsessed with table manners. Yet most Americans don’t think about whether proper American dining etiquette is a good way to eat. Or why we eat something a particular way.  This talk compares and contrasts how Americans think about dining etiquette to how those from other cultures do in order to reveal American idiosyncrasies that many don’t notice. This talk will also show audience how to eat miso soup without a spoon and how to eat Chinese food properly.  And finally, this talk will encourage people to look and feel less awkward while eating soup.

1-2 paragraphs explaining why you are the right person to give this talk. Please be prepared to include links to relevant articles, papers, videos, etc which will help establish your credibility in this field

I’ve owned a restaurant (Alive Juice Bar) for 10 years. An important part of my job is to watch people eat and to figure out why they eat the way they do so I can better serve them taste-wise and nutritionally.  For instance, I only serve dark meat chicken because I noticed that those who eat white meat chicken would add more sauce to it, making it more caloric than its dark (and naturally more flavorful) counterpart. I’ve also noticed that most Americans look awkward while eating soup.

I gave a 2017 Seattle IGNITE talk about the history of American cuisine (Why We Stopped Eating the Nasty Shit) and why Americans eat what they do. I’ve blogged about American cuisine and dining etiquette and health and nutrition since 2012.

A full draft version of your talk (1500-2000 words). Please be prepared to copy/paste this into the application form
How to Eat Like an Asshole