To my west coast Canadian ears, supper and dinner are the same thing but supper sounds old fashioned and cilantro and coriander are from the same plant but the fresh green leaves are called cilantro (or sometimes fresh coriander), the dried seeds, often ground up, are called coriander. And I use chopsticks to eat fish.

Guess I'm vulgar then

Blimey woman - just look at yer hair cut! (not to mention the 'tan')

Maybe vulgar was the wrong word, more naff in a Hyacynth Bucket, Margot Leadbetter way

John Betjeman identified fishknives as one of the characteristics of the "non-U" household in his classic 1954 poem "How to Get On in Society." Here it is in all its glory (thank you, Google...). I think Hyacinth Bucket would perhaps have felt right at home here, but then I'm equally convinced she was actually an only-slightly-exaggerated version of my great aunt:

Phone for the fish-knives, Norman,
As Cook is a little unnerved;
You kiddies have crumpled the serviettes
And I must have things daintily served.

Are the requisites all in the toilet?
The frills round the cutlets can wait
Till the girl has replenished the cruets
And switched on the logs in the grate.

It's ever so close in the lounge, dear,
But the vestibule's comfy for tea,
And Howard is out riding on horseback,
So do come and take some with me.

Now here is a fork for your pastries,
And do use the couch for your feet;
I know what I wanted to ask you --
Is trifle suffient for sweet?

Milk and then just as it comes, dear?
I'm afraid the preserve's full of stones;
Beg pardon I'm soiling the doileys
With afternoon tea-cakes and scones.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that the UK considers fish knives vulgar. I know they are less in use in the home than they may have been many years ago but in some of the fish restaurants in the UK, fish knives are still used at table, primarily because they do make eating fish easier. I'm not sure when they became 'naff'. It's a shame though because if you've ever seen antique bone-handled fish knives, they are really lovely to look at!

You leave my sister Hyacynth out of this, she has just invited me to her candlelit supper. I think we are having a fondue then afterwards we are going to play charades

I beg your pardon? The riparian entertainments are conspicuous by their abscence - ol' Hyacinth is slippin'.....lol

Oh, how jolly. Just you be careful not to overdo it on the sweet sherry, won't you?

Advocaat darling, with a little umbrella in it.

Ooo, can I have a Campari instead?

No but there's a little home made gooseberry wine if you wish

dont forget your doilies (sp?)

Don't forget Courgette = Zucchini and Spring Onion = Green Onion...God I'm borded with this.

Is it considered vulgar because the use of a fish knife is needed when there's bones in the fish, and in a posh restaurant the fish is already prepared for eating with regular knife / fork? I'm not a big fish eater but wherever i've been it's always been with a knife and fork, even in the UK. (I ain't no posho either...)

Anyways... to add to the confusion, in Quebec, Breakfast is breakfast, except if you're a frenchy it is 'Dejeuner', (equivalent to Petit dejeuner in Parisian), and lunch is 'Diner' - which transposed onto English quebeckers so now Lunchtime is Dinner in this province, and Dinner is supper.

Confused enough now?