T'Pol off her tucker (no, not that Tucker)

Poor old Enterprise is ever and always canon fodder on the forums, giving some relief to Voyager fans no doubt. From the yawning canon chasms of Qo'noS-too-close to the very piddly matters of Vulcan etiquette Enterprise cops the lot. But to the Trek Apologist these matters are of very little import.

"Vulcans do not touch food with their hands," T'Pol tells us in Broken Bow. And so we see her sawing away at breadsticks and celery with what appears to be a butter knife, the picture of control and very slow eating. And yet in future episodes T'Pol eats popcorn with her fingers. Oh the horror, the liberties taken with canon even as it is barely formed!

It's clear that T'Pol is very stressed by being the only Vulcan on a human vessel and in the first half of Season One she clings to her familiar ways and little rules. She needs to distinguish herself from these humans and the way to do that is to elevate all aspects of her culture and throw it in their faces. She is a Vulcan and she will not let you (meaning herself) forget it. Never mind that back home the eating rule is observed only in formal settings and a lighter approach is taken at, say, picnics. Everything she does will declare her identity.

Really she is no different than an Australian spewing strine in London, talking about his "china" and "hitting the frog and toad" even though no peer of his has used these words back in Sydney in 100 years.