NathanPaulPrince.com
July 2009
+ Basic Table Manners
Nowhere is a lack of education more apparent than at a table. Below are the ten most common tips in social dining and how you can avoid making mistakes.
1. Which is your water, bread plate, and napkin
If you remember: liquids on the right, solids on the left, you’ll never eat someone else’s bread again. Your coffee cup is to the right of the plate and your bread plate is on the left. Your napkin is always placed somewhere within your eating borders.
2. As soon as you are seated, unfold your napkin and place it on your lap. The napkin remains on your lap (except when you are using it) until the end of the meal. The end of the meal is when the other diners are leaving the table, not just when you think you are finished.
If you need to leave the table temporarily, you may leave the napkin in your chair as a signal to the waiter that you will be returning. This is also a consideration for the other diners who won't have to look at your soiled napkin on the table.
Use your napkin to wipe your mouth before drinking from a wine glass or coffee cup. This keeps greasy marks from the glass rim.
At the conclusion of the meal, place your napkin partly folded, never crumpled, at the left of your plate. Even a paper napkin should never be crushed and tossed into your plate.
3. The Place Setting: The first and original table utensil was the dagger that one used to carry for defence. The prevention of violence was one of the principal aims of table manners, so there are some restrictions regarding knives at the table.
The knife is never pointed towards anyone. Richelieu was responsible for the rounding off of the points on table knife blades in 1669 France in order to prevent further dinnertime bloodshed.
The traditional place setting has the forks on the left side and knives (always turned inward facing the plate) and spoons on the right side. A blade pointed outward by your plate is a sign that you wish the person across from you harm.
The silver is placed in order of use so that you can follow the rule “begin at the outside and work in” towards the plate.
4. Once silverware is picked up from the table it NEVER touches the table again. Place it on the outer rim of the plate between bites, but never rest silver gangplank fashion (half on the table and half on the plate).
5. When to Start eating – in gatherings of six or less people, begin eating only after everyone is served. For larger groups, such as banquets, it is customary to start eating after four or five people have been served, or permission is granted from those not yet served.
6. Bread and rolls are broken off into bite-size pieces and butter is spread on each bite as you eat it. Never use a knife to cut the bread, nor butter a whole slice at once. Butter should be taken when passed, and placed onto your bread plate, never directly onto your bread.
7. Dishes are passed from left to right. When a waiter serves you, food will be presented on your left, and the dish will be removed from your right side when you’ve finished.
8. Salt and pepper are always passed together, even if someone asks you only for the salt.
9. Hold a stemmed glass by the stem. This is to prevent chilled drinks, such as white wine from becoming warmed by your hand, but it holds for non-chilled drinks as well.
10. The finish – when you are finished with each course your knife (blade turned inward) and fork should be placed beside each other on the plate diagonally from upper left to lower right (11 to 5 if you imagine your plate as a clock face). This is a signal to the waiter that you are finished. Don’t push your plate away or rearrange your dishes from their positions when you are finished.
There are two styles of eating; Continental and American. In the Continental style, which is more practical, the knife (for right handed folks) is kept in the right hand and the fork in the left, with no switching (like the zigzag practice of the American style where the fork is changed from the left hand to the right after cutting food).
The left hand is usually kept off the table and in your lap during American style dining, except when it's being used to hold the fork during the cutting of food.
In the Continental style the fork is held in the left hand with the tines down; the back of the fork up and the left index finger is placed on the back of the fork, low, for stability. This works for meat and other foods that can be pierced. For other foods (mashed potatoes, etc.) the fork is held in the same manner and the food is placed on the back of the fork and transferred to your mouth.
The Continental, which most people consider old world is actually newer. It was introduced by the British around 1880, but Americans were trying to instill manners on their frontiersmen and remove their brute-like image.
Both knife and fork are held while you chew although you can rest them on the plate.
When you are "resting", not using the utensils at the table, but you are not yet finished, the knife and fork should be placed on the plate. This placement is a signal to the waiter not to remove your plate, assuming that the waiter knows basic table manners.
Now go out, enjoy a meal with friends and practice!
Formal Dinner Place Setting
1. Napkin
2. Fish fork
3. Main Course fork
4. Salad fork
5. Soup Bowl & plate
6. Dinner Plate
7. Dinner knife
8. Fish knife
9. Soup spoon
10. Bread & butter plate
11. Butter Knife
12. Desert silverware
13. Water Glass
14. Red Wine Glass
15. White Wine Glass
This table setting is European style, because the salad is served after the main course.
In America the salad fork would be between #2 and 3 above.
The butter knife, used only for spreading butter, should already be on your bread plate.
Dessert spoons/forks are usually brought in with the dessert, but often the dessert silver is placed above the dinner plate.
The origin of the term dessert is from the French “desservie” meaning to de-serve or clear the table. Dessert was intended to clear the palate.
Fork & knife position when finished meal and waiting for service.
Fork & knife position when signaling you are simply resting or returning.
basic table manners
