Etiquettes on Fine Dining[1]

8/3/2019 Etiquettes on Fine Dining[1]

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Making Restaurant

ReservationsRestaurant reservations are like anyother appointment. If you make areservation, stick to it.

Call ahead if youre going to be morethan 15 minutes late, and cancel as farin advance as possible if your plans

change so that someone else can get atable.Some restaurants take credit card

numbers to hold reservations andcharge no-show fees.


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How to use napkins

As soon as you are seated, remove thenapkin from your place setting unfold it,and put it in your lap. Do not shake it

open. At some very formal restaurants,the waiter may do this for the diners, butit is not inappropriate to place your

own napkin in your lap, even when thisis the case.

The napkin rests on the lap till the end ofthe meal. Don't clean the cutlery or wipe


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At a private dinner

partyThe meal begins when the host orhostess unfolds his or her napkin. Thisis your signal to do the same. Place

your napkin on your lap, completelyunfolded if it is a small luncheonnapkin or in half, lengthwise, if it is alarge dinner napkin. Do not shake itopen.

The napkin rests on the lap till the end

of the meal.


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When to start eating

In a restaurant:Wait until all areserved at your table

before beginning toeat.

At a private

dinner party:When your host orhostess picks up

their fork to eat,


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How to use yourSilverware and

DinnerwareUse the silverware farthest from yourplate first.Here's the Silverware and

dinnerware rule:Eat to your left, drink to your right. Anyfood dish to the left is yours, and anyglass to the right is yours.

Starting with the knife, fork, or spoonthat is farthest from your plate, work

your way in, using one utensil for each


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Two methods whenusing the fork and knife

American Style: Knife in right hand,fork in left hand holding food. After afew bite-sized pieces of food are cut,

place knife on edge of plate with bladesfacing in. Eat food by switching fork toright hand (unless you are lefthanded). A left hand, arm or elbow on

the table is bad manners.Continental/European Style: Knife inright hand, fork in left hand. Eat food

with fork still in left hand. The difference' -


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Continuation

Once used, your utensils, includingthe handles, must not touch thetable again. Always rest forks,

knives, and spoons on the side ofyour plate or in the bowl.

For more formal dinners, fromcourse to course, your tablewarewill be taken away and replaced asneeded.


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General social and

dining etiquette rulesFollow whatever dress code isrequested on the invitation orsuggested by the host/hostess.

Arrive at least 10 minutes earlyunless otherwise specified. Neverarrive late!It is proper to bring a small

hostess gift, one that the hostessis not obliged to use that veryevening. Gifts such as flowers,

candy, wine, or dessert, are not


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A prayer or 'blessing' may becustomary in some households.The dinner guests may join in orbe respectfully silent. Most prayersare made by the host before themeal is eaten.

Sometimes a toast is offeredinstead of a prayer. Always join inwith a toast. If the host stands up

during the toast, also stand up.


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Passing dishes or food

Pass food from the left to the right. Do

not stretch across the table, crossingother guests, to reach food orcondiments.

If asked for the salt or pepper, passboth together, even if a table mateasks for only one of them. This is sodinner guests won't have to search fororphaned shakers.

Set any passed item, whether it's the

salt and pepper shakers,


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While Eating

Do NOT talk with food in your mouth!This is very rude and distasteful towatch! Wait until you have swallowedthe food in your mouth.

Always taste your food beforeseasoning it. Usually the hostess hasgone to a lot of work making sure the

food served is delicious to herstandards. It is very rude to add saltand pepper before tasting the food.Don't blow on your food to cool it off. Ifit is too hot to eat, take the hint and


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Do not "play with" your food orutensils. Never wave or point

silverware. Do not hold food on thefork or spoon while talking, nor waveyour silverware in the air or point with

it.Try to pace your eating so that youdont finish before others are halfwaythrough. If you are a slow eater, try tospeed up a bit on this occasion so youdont hold everyone up. Nevercontinue to eat long after others have

stopped.


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Table Manners

Unfold your napkin and place it on

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

Keep elbows off the table. Keep yourleft hand in your lap unless you areusing it.Do not talk with your mouth full.Chew with your mouth closed.Guests should do their best to mingleand make light conversation with

everyone. Do not talk excessively


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Do not blow your nose at the dinnertable. Excuse yourself to visit the

restroom. Wash your hands beforereturning to the dining room. If youcough, cover your mouth with your

napkin to stop the spread of germsand muffle the noise. If your coughbecomes unmanageable, excuseyourself to visit the restroom. Washyour hands before returning to thedining room.Turn off your cell phone or switch it to

silent or vibrate mode before sitting


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Wine

Never turn a wine glass upside downto decline wine. It is more polite to letthe wine be poured and not draw

attention. Otherwise, hold your handover the wine glass to signal that youdon't want any wine.

Hold your wine glass by the stem, notthe rim.Where a different wine is served witheach course, it is quite acceptable to

not finish each glass.


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Dividing or sharing therestaurant bill with

othersAlways assume that if youre dining ina group of more than 6 people (3couples), that the check is going to be

divided evenly among everyone.When dining when other couples, Ifyou know youre going to ask for aseparate check, tell the server beforeyou order so that the process issimplified later.Take into account any significant (Rs

100 or more) price differences in

i i


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Proper tippingetiquette in a

restaurant (Suggested)At a restaurant, always leave a tip.Tips can vary from 15% to 25%.Waiter: 15% to 20% of the bill; 25%

for extraordinary service

Wine steward: 15% of wine bill

Bartender: 10% to 15% of bar bill

Coat check: Rs20/25 per coat (could

be more depending)

ifi f d


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Specific food typeetiquette guideAppetizers, Hors d'oeuvres,

Canaps:Food that is served at a cocktail party orduring a pre-meal cocktail hour is

intended to be eaten with the fingers.This includes olives, pickles, nuts, deviledeggs, and chips.

Artichokes:It is both proper and polite to pluck theleaves with your fingers, leaving fork and

knife aside for now.


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Just before you get to the very center,

leaves will become almost white withpurple tips. Be careful of these leavesbecause their purple ends are prickly.When the leaves are pulled, you willbe left with the base, the heart,crowned with a fuzzy patch. You havenow reached the best part of all, the

very reason for eating artichokes: theheart. Carefully scoop away the fuzzystuff with your knife or spoon (though

a properly prepared artichoke will


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Asparagus:

Most etiquette books say that youcan eat whole asparagus spears,without a sauce, by picking up withyour hand. However, if you do this at

a restaurant or dinner party, you willdraw strange glances. Be safe anduse your knife and fork to cut and

eat them. Only pick asparagus upwith your hands if the hostess does.

Avocado:If the avocado is served in its shell, it


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Berries: Generally, eat berries

with a spoon, whether they havecream on them or not.

Bread:Use your fingers to remove breadfrom the serving plate. When abread and butter plate is on the

table, use it appropriately.Break slices of bread, rolls andmuffins in half or in small pieces

never larger than one bite. Butter


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Chicken:

It once was acceptable to pick upfood on a bone, such as chicken, if itcould be held with two fingers. Ifdon't recommend that you do this ina public setting.When dining at the restaurant or in apublic place, chicken should always

be eaten with a fork and knife.If you are at an informal barbecue, inthe fast food restaurant where you

bought the chicken, and/or at your


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Crab, shrimp

and lobster cocktails: These arealways eaten with a cocktail fork.

Crab/lobster claws: Crack themwith a nutcracker and the meat takenout with an miniature or oyster fork.

French Fries:In a fine dining restaurant, use yourknife and forks.

When dining at a dinner party and


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Olives:

Generally, olives are considered afinger food. It is perfectly acceptableto pick up and eat an olive with yourfingers. Remove pit with your fingers.If you prefer not to use the fingermethod, use a small fork to stab oliveand remove olive from your mouth.

Depending on your dining situation,you can either choose to eat olives orleave them on the plate. If you are on

a job interview, dont eat them. Also,


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Pasta or Spaghetti:

The perfect method for eatingspaghetti or other long stringy pastais to twirl it around your fork. Use aspoon to help if needed.It is also acceptable to cut pasta witha knife and fork. You can get someleverage by turning the pasta while

holding the tines of your fork againstthe edge of your plate. It's evencorrect to neatly cut the pasta if

twirling is too hard.


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Pineapple: Use a knife and fork toeat fresh pineapple slices.

Potatoes:Baked potatoes are most often

served already slit. If not, cut acrossthe top with a knife, open the potatowider with your fork, and add butter

or sour cream and chives, salt, andpepper.You may eat the skin as you go along.Don't take the insides out and put the

skin aside (or take the foil off). Eat it


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Sandwich:

Small sandwiches, such as teasandwiches or canaps, may be pickedup and eaten with your fingers.Large sandwiches, if not cut in halve,should be cut with your knife beforelifting and eating.Any hot sandwich served with a gravy

requires a knife and fork.

Shrimp:

Shrimp Cocktail: If large shrimp are


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Sheesh-kabaab: Hold the tip of the shish-kabob in

one hand and use the dinner fork toremove the pieces with the other.When all the food has been removed

from the stick, place it on the side ofyour plate.

Always eat the meat with your

utensils. Soup: Dip the spoon into the soup, moving

it away from the body, until it is

about two-thirds full, then sip the


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Sushi: At most sushi bars, the waitress will

offer a hot towel to wash your handsso you can pick up sushi with cleanfingers. At home use hot washcloths.

With your Sushi order, you will beserved some pickled ginger, a smallmound of wasabi, and soy sauce. Eata slice of pickled ginger after eachvariety of sushi to cleanse yourpalate. It is not proper to mix the

wasabi with the soy sauce.


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I really hope that this presentation

prepares you to dine with anyone andthat you do not have to keep an eyeon others but the Others should followyour lead.

Happy Dining!!

Colonel J H Mayne

Etiquettes on Fine Dining[1]

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