Dinner Etiquette
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Dining etiquette can be confusing and sometimes downright fearful. But
etiquette experts say it's really easier than it looks. Most of the rules
are common sense.
Dining out is a major fear for young people, especially when it comes to the
place setting.
women appreciate men who have good table manners.
``If you're not sure what to do, then watch other people and see what they
do.
While certain place settings call for certain etiquette rules, basic table
manners don't change.
Chewing with the mouth open, shoveling in food and talking with the mouth
full are basic no-nos. Grossing out your dinner partner is not what you want
to do.
Other basics:
.. Never put your elbows on the table or lean over the table to eat. Sit a
hands-length from the table.
.. Never chew gum.
.. Never pick your teeth.
.. Never apply lipstick at the table.
Table conversation should exclude taboo topics, including politics, sex and
religion -- anything that will give you heartburn.
Etiquette trainers say these basics are not being passed onto children,
which means table manners are getting worse.
it's important for parents to sit down with their children and
demonstrate appropriate eating behavior.
``If they see you slurping this and smacking that, then they're going to do
it.
As soon as children can eat with a utensil, they should start learning good
table manners
``Table manners are a great equalizer. ``You can sit at
the table with the rich and famous and don't have to be either. Plus a lot
of business meetings and interviews are conducted at the table. You want to
be able to show people that you have good manners.Recipe
Here are more tips for the diner:
.. Watermelon wedges are always eaten with a knife and fork. Any seeds taken
into your mouth should be cleaned and dropped into your tightly cupped hand
and put on your plate.
.. Bacon with any fat on it should be eaten with a knife and fork. If it is
crisp, crumble it with a fork and eat it with your fingers.
.. Break slices of bread, rolls and muffins in half or in small pieces before
eating and buttering them.
.. Use your own butter knife and the butter on your plate; buttering should
be done on the plate or just above it. Keep the butter knife slightly to the
right, with the handle off the edge to keep it clean.
.. When finger foods are offered on a platter, place them on your plate
before you put them into your mouth.
.. These foods are meant to be eaten with the hands: corn on the cob,
spareribs, sandwiches, dry cakes, cookies, chicken wings, french fries,
olives and celery.
.. Spaghetti is eaten with a fork. Pick up just a few strands and twirl them
on a fork. You may need a large spoon to help with the winding, but never
lift the spoon from the plate. You can also use a small piece of bread to
help contain the noodles. Never cut spaghetti.
.. A pie-shaped wedge of pizza is held in your fingers with the sides curled
up to avoid losing the filling. If the slice is large, you can eat it with a
knife and fork.
.. Salad is traditionally eaten with a fork. Oversize pieces should be cut so
they don't spring off the fork.
.. A wedge of iceberg lettuce should always be eaten with a knife and fork.
When the salad is served at the same time as your main course, don't
transfer it onto your plate.
.. The charger plate, or the large bottom plate, is used as a serving
platter. You don't eat off it; it is meant only to hold bowls and other
plates.
.. The best advice for using flatware is to eat from the outside in. The
table is set according to the dinner courses
It's a little-known secret that all place settings are organized for
right-handed people, he said. Everything is placed to the right of the
charger plate.
``Frequently you'll see people use the wrong bread and butter plate,''
``And then it's a domino effect. Everyone uses the wrong
plate until one person is left without one.''
.. The salad fork is usually smaller and wider than the dinner fork; the
forks are placed next to each other, to the left of the plate.
``Tables aren't set up to fool you. ``The best
restaurants will only provide you with a fork and knife. They'll bring out
the silverware you need with each course.''
.. As soon as you sit down at the table, put the napkin in your lap. When
finished, fold the napkin and place it to the left of your plate. Don't put
it in your chair.
.. Another hot spot for dining problems is buffets.
don't overload your plate at the buffet. And always use the serving
utensils. Don't use fingers to grab food, and certainly don't eat while
standing in the buffet line.
``Everybody always notices how full your plate is,'' he said. ``But they
aren't going to notice or care how many times you go back to the buffet.''
Always get a clean plate when going back to the buffet.
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