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Dining by Course Soup • With your soup spoon, soup is always spooned away from you. If you must tilt your bowl to get at your soup, also tilt it away from you. • Avoid leaning over the bowl and no slurping. Sit up as straight as possible, • Sip the soup from the end or the side and avoid putting the whole spoon in your mouth. • If your soup is too hot, skim from the top, not the bottom where heat permeates. • Never blow on your soup as it will splatter all over your clothes! • When you are finished (and in between bites), if your soup has a rim bowl, the spoon stay there in between bites. If not, the spoon stays in the bowl. Bread and Butter • Baskets may be passed with rolls, sliced breads, crackers or breadsticks, or the roll may already be on your bread plate when you’re out dining. • Take only one roll to leave some for others around the table. You can always have seconds! • Place the piece on your bread plate to the left of your dinner plate. For butter, also place one pat on your plate. If the butter is in foil, remove the foil, fold and place to the side of your bread plate • The golden rule of bread is to only break off a small piece of bread, hold it in your fingers (not your palm) and butter it ONE bite at a time. One never butters an entire roll! • When you are ready for your single bite, butter it with the butter knife on your butter plate and gently glide the piece to your mouth with as few crumbs as possible. • Bread may de dipped (or sopped) in gravy or soup but buyer beware, it will be messy! • Bread baskets are always passed to the right. If you are the host, pass the basket to the right but offer one to the person on your direct left first so they do not have to wait until the basket makes it around the table. For larger groups, there should be more than one basket on the table. Salad • Begin with your salad fork and salad knife (See Table Setting Photo). • Like bread, avoid cutting the entire salad at once, but cut sections in small pieces and eat ONE bite at a time. • Bibb lettuce can be large, so cut it without slicing it, and try to do so gracefully. This also goes for other vegetables on your plate. • When cutting, decide on the style of eating (See American vs. Continental Styles of Eating). • When you have finished eating, place your fork and knife in the four o’clock position which signifies to the waiter that you are finished. • The golden rule is that even if you don’t use your knife (like salad) for the course, both utensils go on the plate for balance. Main Course • Begin with your dinner fork and dinner knife (See Table Setting Photo). These will be larger than the salad fork and knife. • Don’t cut the entire entrée at once, but ONE bite at a time. • When you have finished eating, place your fork and knife in the four o’clock position which signifies to your waiter that you are done eating. • The golden rule is that even if you don’t use your knife for the course, both utensils go on the plate for balance. Dessert • Unless you will be eating Baked Alaska, forks are generally not used for dessert. • As this is the last course, you will given a dessert plate, desert knife and spoon for coffee or tea. • Small bites are preferable. There are usually not seconds offered, however there may be a plate of cookies or sweets for the table. Take one piece to leave enough for all the guests. • When coffee or tea is served, the cream and sugar may be passed. If so, take small amounts to again, leave enough for other guests. If you run out, just ask the waiter for more.
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Lisa M. Grotts |
