Table Etiquettes And Manners & Table Settings

How Do I Use My Napkin ?

The American Table Etiquettes And Manners• In a restaurant:

As soon as you are seated, remove the napkin from your place setting, unfold it, and put it in your lap. Do not shake it open. At some very formal restaurants, the waiter may do this for the diners, but it is not inappropriate to place your own napkin in your lap, even when this is the case

.

The napkin rests on the lap till the end of the meal. Don't clean the cutlery or wipe your face with the napkin. NEVER use it to wipe your nose!

If you excuse yourself from the table, loosely fold the napkin and place it to the left or right of your plate. Do not refold your napkin or wad it up on the table either. Never place your napkin on your chair.

At the end of the meal, leave the napkin semi-folded at the left side of the place setting. It should not be crumpled or twisted; nor should it be folded. The napkin must also not be left on the chair.

• At a private dinner party:

The meal begins when the host or hostess unfolds his or her napkin. This is your signal to do the same. Place your napkin on your lap, completely unfolded if it is a small luncheon napkin or in half, lengthwise, if it is a large dinner napkin. Do not shake it open.

The napkin rests on the lap till the end of the meal.

The host will signal the end of the meal by placing his or her napkin on the table. Once the meal is over, you too should place your napkin neatly on the table to the left of your dinner plate. (Do not refold your napkin, but don't wad it up, either.)

I'm Hungry! When Do I Start Eating ??When to start eating :

When to start eating :

• In a restaurant:

Wait until all are served at your table before beginning to eat.

• At a private dinner party:

When your host or hostess picks up their fork to eat, then you may eat. Do not start before this unless the host or hostess insists that you start eating.

How Do I Use My Silverware and Dinnerware ?

How to use your silverware and dinnerware:

• Here's the Silverware and dinnerware rule:

Eat to your left, drink to your right. Any food dish to the left is yours, and any glass to the right is yours.

Starting with the knife, fork, or spoon that is farthest from your plate, work your way in, using one utensil for each course. The salad fork is on your outermost left, followed by your dinner fork. Your soup spoon is on your outermost right, followed by your beverage spoon, salad knife and dinner knife. Your dessert spoon and fork are above your plate or brought out with dessert. If you remember the rule to work from the outside in, you'll be fine.

• Use The method when using the fork and knife:

American Style: Knife in right hand, fork in left hand holding food. After a few bite-sized pieces of food are cut, place knife on edge of plate with blades facing in. Eat food by switching fork to right hand (unless you are left handed). A left hand, arm or elbow on the table is bad manners.

REMEMBER :-

Once used, your utensils, including the handles, must not touch the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl.

For more formal dinners, from course to course, your tableware will be taken away and replaced as needed.

To signal that your are done with the course, rest your fork, tines up, and knife blade in, with the handles resting at five o'clock an d tips pointing to ten o'clock on your plate.

Any unused silverware is simply left on the table.

• Wrong Way Of Behaving On The Table.

• He Looks Impolite, doesn’t he ?

General Social and Dining Etiquette Rules Arrive at least 10 minutes early unless otherwise specified. Never arrive late!

It is proper to bring a small hostess gift, one that the hostess is not obliged to use that very evening. Gifts such as flowers, candy, wine, or dessert, are not good hostess gifts, as the hostess will feel that it must put it out immediately. You must not never expect your gift to be served at the dinner party.

At a dinner party, wait for the host or hostess sits down before taking your seat. If the host/hostess asks you to sit, then do. At a very formal dinner party, if there are no name cards at the table, wait until the host indicates where you should sit. The seating will typically be man-woman-man-woman with the women seated to the right of the men.

A prayer or 'blessing' may be customary in some households. The dinner guests may join in or be respectfully silent. Most prayers are made by the host before the meal is eaten .

Sometimes a toast is offered instead of a prayer. Always join in with a toast. If the host stands up during the toast, also stand up.

Serving tea or coffee signifies that the formal part of the evening is over. Guests may now feel free to leave, or linger if the host or hostess encourages them to do so.

After a formal dinner party, a thank you note should be sent to the host / hostess

Follow whatever dress code is requested on the invitation or suggested by the host / hostess

Table Etiquettes And Manners• Serving food:

Food is served from the left. Dishes are removed from the right.

Always say please when asking for something. At a restaurant, be sure to say thank you to your server and bus boy after they have removed any used items.

Butter, spreads, or dips should be transferred from the serving dish to your plate before spreading or eating.

• Passing dishes or food:

Pass food from the left to the right. Do not stretch across the table, crossing other guests, to reach food or condiments.

If asked for the salt or pepper, pass both together, even if a table mate asks for only one of them. This is so dinner guests won't have to search for orphaned shakers.

Set any passed item, whether it's the salt and pepper shakers, a bread basket, or a butter plate, directly on the table instead of passing hand-to-hand.

Never intercept a pass. Snagging a roll out of the breadbasket or taking a shake of salt when it is enroute to someone else is a no-no.

Always use serving utensils to serve yourself, not your personal silverware.

Table Etiquettes And Manners con…

• Eating Do NOT talk with food in your mouth! This is very rude and distasteful to watch! Wait until you have swallowed the food in your

mouth.

Always taste your food before seasoning it. Usually the hostess has gone to a lot of work making sure the food served is delicious to her standards. It is very rude to add salt and pepper before tasting the food.

Don't blow on your food to cool it off. If it is too hot to eat, take the hint and wait until it cools.

Always scoop food, using the proper utensil, away from you.

Cut only enough food for the next mouthful (cut no more than two bites of food at a time). Eat in small bites and slowly.

Do eat a little of everything on your plate. If you do not like the food and feel unable to give a compliment, just keep silent. It is acceptable to leave some food on your plate if you are full and have eaten enough.

Do not "play with" your food or utensils. Never wave or point silverware. Do not hold food on the fork or spoon while talking, nor wave your silverware in the air or point with it.

Try to pace your eating so that you don’t finish before others are halfway through. If you are a slow eater, try to speed up a bit on this occasion so you don’t hold everyone up. Never continue to eat long after others have stopped.

Once used, your utensils, including the handles, must not touch the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl.

If the food served is not to your liking, it is polite to at least attempt to eat a small amount of it.

Drinking A Wine, Does It require manners too ?

Drinking The Wine:Never turn a wine glass upside down to decline wine. It is more polite to let the wine be poured and not draw attention. Otherwise, hold your hand over the wine glass to signal that you don't want any wine.Hold your wine glass by the stem, not the rim. Where a different wine is served with each course, it is quite acceptable to not finish each glass.

The American Table Setting

Dinner KnifeTo the right of the plate. Sometimes there are multiple knives, perhaps for meat, fish and salad, in order of used from the outside in.

Tea SpoonTo the right of the dinner knife.

Tea SpoonTo the right of the other tea spoon.

Soup BowlTo the right of the 2nd tea spoon, however may be placed on the plate holding the soup bowl of soup is served. Note: If you need to set your soup spoon down while dining, place it in the bowl. Do not put it on the dish under the bowl until you are finished.

Dinner PlateAlways located in the center of the place setting. While eating keep your knife and fork on the sides of the plate (or open). When finished put the knife and fork together (or closed). Typically on an angle, handles pointing toward 4 o’clock.

The American Table Setting

Water glassJust above the tip of knife.

Red Wine GlassTo the right of the water glass

Cocktail ForkSmaller fork all the way to the right side.

White Wine GlassTo the right of the red wine glass. A white wine glass is held on the stem to preserve the chill. It should be served at 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Coffee CupIf needed brought at time of service.

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