Have you ever been
at a fancy dinner dressed in a suit and tie and there is a person who does not
know how to properly behave? You know - the guy who chews and talks with his
mouth open, or who burps out loud, or who gulps down their food before others
have been served. It is extremely important to know how to have proper table
manners and dinner etiquette. Most decisions in the business and professional
world are made while you are sitting at a dinner with someone, so knowing how
to behave in a formal dinner setting is important.
The
first rule for going to a fancy dinner party is knowing what to wear.
Appearance is very important because that is on what the person at a formal
dinner will base their first impressions. Make sure that your clothes are clean
and ironed; a ragged appearance may give someone the wrong idea. The second
rule is do not be late! Arrive to the dinner ten to fifteen minutes early and
make sure to greet your hosts and thank them. If the dinner is at someone’s
home bring something like flowers or a bottle of wine as a gift. An easy
“trick” to know what is going on during the dinner is to watch and follow your
hosts; their cues will indicate what to do next.
There is a basic
way that a dinner table will be set up and it is important to know what utensil
to use for the food that you are eating.
A basic table setting will include: a napkin, a fork, a plate, a knife,
a spoon, a bread-and-butter plate and knife, and a water goblet. A simple way
to remember the order things go in is to use the word FORKS. First is F for
fork, next is O which is the shape of the plate, the K for knife, and finally S
for spoon. We forgot the R but this is still a great way to remember the proper
order of your dinner utensils. Your water goblet always goes to the right of
your plate and the bread-and-butter plate goes to the left. As for your napkin
you may place it on your lap so the crumbs have a place to fall. A trick for
when your napkin is too big to fit on your lap is to fold it slightly because
it should only cover your lap nothing more nothing less. If you have to excuse
yourself from the table at any point fold your napkin and put it on the side of
your plate, never on the chair.
Now that you are
ready at the table with everything set you may want to watch and wait to see if
your host may want to say grace before your meal; it is awfully embarrassing if
you are the only one eating while the other guests are waiting to say grace.
Once grace has been said you may be wondering when you may begin eating and the
best advice is start eating when others do. There is a rule that says never eat
alone, but eat while food is hot. Also ,while
eating, remember to chew with your mouth closed and do not talk with food in
your mouth. Only put a single bite in your mouth so if you need to speak you
will spend less time making others wait. Also ,you should bring your food to
your face, not your face to your food. Do not lean over like an animal in order
to eat your food. Also while you are eating do not put your elbows on the table
(mom was right). You never want to reach for something while at the dinner
table; instead, ask the person closest to the item to pass it to you. If you
happen to spill something clean it up and assist anyone with the rest of clean
up, then carry on with your meal. If there is something you find rather
unpleasant, like a food you don’t like, do not grab your napkin and spit it
back out into it. Instead what you should do is place your fork to your mouth
and place the unwanted food back on the fork, if it came in using a fork it
should come out using a fork, and then place it on the side of your plate. If
it is in the napkin then it is easy to fall out and ruin your clothes or
somebody else’s clothes. Some final tips to proper dining etiquette are to
enjoy your meal, engage in good conversation with others but mind your manners,
and finally turn off your cell phone. There is nothing that signals to me that
our conversation isn’t important like you on your cell phone; you can live
without Facebook or Twitter for a couple hours. Finally ,to signal that you are
done, place your silverware face up on the plate, with your fork on the left
and your knife on the right with the blade facing the fork, at the four-o-clock
position on the clock. Now that you know these tips and tricks for table
etiquette practice them whenever possible
because practice makes perfect.
Sources: whatscookingamerica.net/Menu/DiningEtiquetteGuide.htm
www.artofmanliness.com/2010/03/26/guide-dining-etiquette-table-manners/
www.emilypost.com/everyday-manners/table-manners
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