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Is it just the て-form of ます? So, could I just use 食べまして instead of 食べて?
Leading to my next question (everything from here on is assumed):

Since 食べまして is the polite form of 食べて, why wouldn't you use 食べましてください instead
of 食べてください, isn't that even more polite? But then again, I _never_ heard of
食べましてください, so what is it about the ～まして part?
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2015-10-05T16:56:30.290
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2015-10-05T22:59:14.283
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grammar politeness て-form auxiliaries
What is it about ～まして?
Yes, it is the -て form of ます. But it's a little more restricted, so you need
to be a bit careful.

To be polite, you normally only need to use the です/ます form for the final verb.
Any other verbs can be in their normal -て form. But if you _really_ want to be
polite, then you can put the other verbs in their polite -ます form, obviously
resulting in -まして. It is often found in keigo sentences.

> ご迷惑をおかけしまして申し訳ありません。

However, you cannot combine it with ください. The phrase 「食べましてください」 is highly
unnatural, if not ungrammatical. To give a request, stick with the regular -て
+ ください (or use a keigo expression if you still want to be very polite).

That said, sentences can _end_ with -まして, but it is never a request (as said
before, this isn't typically used for requests); it is a cut-off mid-sentence,
with the second part unsaid.

> 田中さんからお電話がありまして - Tanaka-san called...
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