Table Etiquette

MORE EATING AND TABLE ETIQUETTE:

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. It is never acceptable to ask a person why they have not eaten all the food. Don't make an issue if you don't like something or can't eat it - keep silence.

Even if you have dietary restrictions, it is inappropriate to request food other than that which is being served by the host at a private function. If you have serious dietary restrictions or allergies, let your host know in advance of the dinner.

Table Manners:

Unfold your napkin and place it on your lap. When you are finished, place it loosely on the table, not on the plate.

Keep elbows off the table. Keep your left hand in your lap unless you are using it.

Do not talk with your mouth full. Chew with your mouth closed.

Guests should do their best to mingle and make light conversation with everyone. Do not talk excessively loudly. Give others equal opportunities for conversation. Talk about cheerful, pleasant things at the table.

Don't clean up spills with your own napkin and don't touch items that have dropped on the floor. You can use your napkin to protect yourself from spills. Then, simply and politely ask your server to clean up and to bring you a replacement for the soiled napkin or dirty utensil.

Loud eating noises such as slurping and burping are very impolite. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette!

Do not blow your nose at the dinner table. Excuse yourself to visit the restroom. Wash your hands before returning to the dining room. If you cough, cover your mouth with your napkin to stop the spread of germs and muffle the noise. If your cough becomes unmanageable, excuse yourself to visit the restroom. Wash your hands before returning to the dining room.

Turn off your cell phone or switch it to silent or vibrate mode before sitting down to eat, and leave it in your pocket or purse. It is impolite to answer a phone during dinner. If you must make or take a call, excuse yourself from the table and step outside of the restaurant.

Do not use a toothpick or apply makeup at the table.

Say "Excuse me," or "I'll be right back," before leaving the table. Do not say that you are going to the restroom.

Whenever a woman leaves the table or returns to sit, all men seated with her should stand up.

Do not push your dishes away from you or stack them for the waiter when you are finished. Leave plates and glasses where they are.

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Taken from www.whatscookingamerica.net

Some things every lady should know before coming to the table:

A lady says please and thank you, especially to servers, in a restaurant or in a private home.

A lady does not wolf down her food.

A lady does not slurp her soup.

A lady does not eat more food than she can comfortably digest.

A lady does not attempt to cool her food by blowing on it. If she fears singeing her taste buds, she lets her food cool gradually and undisturbed in its own bowl or on its own plate.

Whether she is an invited guest or the host at a restaurant party, a lady shows up on time.

A lady does not apply makeup at the table.

If a lady is offered a second helping, she may accept it if she wishes.

When a lady chews, she chews quietly.

If she is given the opportunity to serve herself, either at a family-style dinner party or at a buffet, a lady does
not overload her plate.

A lady never argues with a server, whether at a restaurant or at a private party.

A lady does not overstay her welcome.

In any aspect of her life, but especially at the dinner table, a lady does not bite off more than she can chew.

Once a lady has finished stirring her cup of coffee or tea, she places her spoon on her saucer. A lady never places a damp or soiled utensil directly on the table or tablecloth.

A lady does not chop up her salad with her knife and fork before proceeding to eat it. If the salad is not served in easily-eaten pieces, she cuts it into one bite-sized piece at a time, as she eats it.

A lady will find the knives and spoons arranged on the right side of her plate and the forks on her left side. On all occasions, a lady assumes that she begins by using the utensils farthest from her plate. This means when she is presented with her first course, she uses the fork and knife farthest from her plate. Once the course has been completed, she leaves that course’s utensils on her plate. As each new course arrives, she uses the utensils that are closer and closer to her plate.

A lady does not talk with her mouth full.

A lady does not chew with her mouth open, nor does she smack her lips, no matter how delicious her food may be.

A lady makes as little noise as possible while eating.

A lady does not chomp on ice.

A lady does not pick her teeth at the table.

A lady keeps her napkin in her lap while she is eating.

A lady sits up straight, especially at the table.

A lady keeps her elbows off the table when a meal is underway.

If a lady finds she has breadcrumbs on her blouse, she brushes them away.

A lady does not play with her food, kneading her bread with her fingers or stirring the last uneaten morsels of her dinner about on her plate.

A lady does not lean back in her chair.

A lady does not leave the table without asking to be excused.

When a lady leaves the table, she need not explain her reason for asking to be excused.

A lady tries her best not to belch or burp at the table.

If a lady must belch or burp at the table, she covers her mouth with her napkin.

A lady never blows her nose at the table.

Excerpt from A Lady At The Table, by Sheryl Shade.