You are the one who always appreciate good manners than why to forget good manners at table? Whether you're eating at a fancy restaurant, in the cafeteria, Wedding, Parties or at home with friends and families, good table manners always make a good impression and makes meal more pleasant.
Some Table manners you should follow:
Don't Jump Into The Best Seat. Don't scramble for the seat looks more comfortable or has the best view, Let the guest you invited, Your Date, Elders, Females the best seat first OR Let your host tell you where to sit!
Make Good Use of Your Napkin. Place your napkin in your lap immediately upon sitting down. Unfold it while it is in your lap. unfold your napkin and use it for occasionally wiping your lips or fingers. At the end of dinner, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.
Elbows. The "no elbows on the table" rule applies only when you are actually eating. When no utensils are being used, putting your elbows on the table is acceptable.
Asking Questions. In foreign restaurants may have menu items you are not familiar with. Its OK to ask questions about items on the menu or about service.
Time a Meal in a Restaurant. If attending diner before another engagement or are on a schedule, its okay to speed up the pace of the meal.
- Let your waiter know you are on a schedule and ask him to recommend something that can be prepared quickly.
- If you want to lengthen a meal, let your server know you’d like to finish drinks before you order your first course and that there is no need to rush between courses.
Seasoning Food. You should taste your food before seasoning it.
Speaking While Eating. If you have more than a few words to sayFirst swallow your food, Rest your fork on your plate and speak before you resume eating.
Don't Drink with a Full Mouth. To avoid leaving food on the rim of the vessel, make sure the mouth is free of food and blot the lips with a napkin before taking a sip of a beverage.
Reaching Food Items. If food items are not easy reach when you are leaning only slightly forward, Don't lean past the person sitting next to you.
Passing Salt and Pepper. When asked to pass the salt, pass both the salt and pepper. Always pass salt and pepper together. If a person asks for just one, pass both anyway.
Saltcellars. Some hostesses prefer to use saltcellars, which salt shakers have largely replaced.
- If there is no spoon in the saltcellar, use the tip of a clean knife to take some salt.
- If the saltcellar is for you alone, you may either use the tip of your knife or you may take a pinch with your fingers.
- If it is to be shared with others, never use your fingers or a knife that is not clean.
Unfamiliar Food. (1) Wait until someone else starts to eat and follow (2) Ask how the food should be eaten (fingers or fork? ). (3) Avoid the food altogether.
Finger Food. When finger food is taken from a tray, place it on a plate. Don't lick your fingers; use a napkin. When in doubt about whether to use fingers or a utensil to eat a particular food, watch those about you and proceed accordingly. If you're still in doubt, use a utensil, usually a fork.
Hot Soup. If soup is too hot, stir it, don’t blow.
Leaving a Spoon in Your Cup or Bowl. Don't leave your spoon in your cup, soup bowl, or stemmed glass. Rest the spoon on the saucer or soup plate between bites or when finished.
Restaurant Buffets. When you are dining at a restaurant buffet, never go back to the buffet for a refill with a dirty plate. Leave it for the waitperson to pick up and start afresh with a clean plate.
Coffee and Tea in a Restaurant. If coffee or tea is placed on the table without first having been poured by the waiter, the person nearest the pot should offer to pour, filling his or her own cup last.
Tasting Another Person's Food. Either hand your fork to the person, who can spear a bite-sized piece from her plate and hand the fork back to you, or (if the person is sitting close by) hold your plate toward her so that she can put a morsel on the edge.
Eating Quietly: Scraping a plate Or loudly chewing is unpleasant to listen to and considered impolite. Smacking and slurping food are major mistakes and a sign of bad table manners.
Something Caught in your Teeth. When food is caught between the teeth that is annoying or uncomfortable, wait to remove it privately.
Dropped Food. If you drop food on the tablecloth or floor, discreetly use your napkin to retrieve it and ask the waiter for a new napkin. If you spill a glass of wine or water, use your napkin to clean up the mess.
Dropped Utensils. If you drop a utensil, pick it up yourself if you can and let the waiter know you need a new one. If you cannot reach it, inform the waiter and ask for a replacement.
Spilled Food. At an informal meal, the diner quietly and quickly lifts the food with a utensil and places it on the side of his plate. If food is spilled on another guest, apologize and offer to pay for cleaning (but let the other person wipe up the debris).
Gesturing. Do not gesture with a knife or fork in your hands.
Purse at the Table. Because a purse on the table crowds and disturbs the symmetry of the table setting, in a private residence it is left wherever the hostess suggests, such as in a bedroom or on a chair. In a restaurant or public place, it is held on the lap or placed close at hand.
Lipstick at the Dinner Table. A lady should refrain from replenishing lipstick before coming to the table in order to prevent an imprint of lipstick on the rim of a glass or a napkin.
Food on Your Partner's Face. Your dining partner has food on his face? If you notice a speck of food on someone's face, you're doing them a favor by subtly calling attention to it. You might signal silently by using your index finger to lightly tap your chin or whatever part of the face is affected
Sneezing, Coughing, Blowing your Nose. When sneezing or coughing at the table is unavoidable, cover your nose or mouth with a napkin and proceed as quietly as possible. Except in an emergency, don't use a napkin to blow your nose. Leave the table and use a handkerchief instead.
Burps. When a burp is coming on, cover the mouth with a napkin, quietly burp, and say, "Excuse me." For an attack of hiccups, excuse yourself from the table until they have passed.
Excusing Yourself. Simply say "excuse me, please; I'll be right back" when leaving for the restroom. Leaving without a word is rude.
Problems with the Bill. If there is a problem with the bill, quietly discuss it with the waiter. If the waiter is uncooperative, excuse yourself from the table and ask to speak to the manager.
Declined Credit Card.
- Do not call attention to the situation
- If your card continues to be declined, and you do not have enough cash to pay, ask to pay by check, visit the nearest ATM, or return the next day with cash.
- If the restaurant declines these suggestions, you have no option but to return to the table and throw yourself on the mercy of your companions.
- Repay their kindness within 24 hours, repaying them in cash.
Napkin as a Signal at Meal's End. The host will signal the end of the meal by placing her napkin on the table.
Don’t toss napkins on the table: If you need to get up, place your napkin on your seat, not bunched up on the table (unless you’ve paid and you’re ready to leave).
Lemons. To keep from squirting your dinner companion in the eye when squeezing a lemon wedge, follow this method. First, impale the pulp of the lemon wedge on the fork tines. Next, cup your free hand over the lemon and gently squeeze the fruit.
Hot Towels. In some upscale restaurants, steamed hand towels are brought to diners at the end of the meal. Use the towel to wipe your hands and, if necessary, the area around your mouth. Most waiters will take the towel away as soon as you've finished. If not, leave the towel at the left of your plate, on top of your loosely folded napkin.
And last but not the least, don't forget to make conversation with guests around you. Dinner parties are not just about the food, they are intended to be a sociable occasion.
You are the one who always appreciate good manners than why to forget good manners at table? Whether you're eating at a fancy restaurant, in the cafeteria, Wedding, Parties or at home with friends and families, good table manners always make a good impression and makes meal more pleasant.
Some Table manners you should follow:
Make Good Use of Your Napkin. Place your napkin in your lap immediately upon sitting down. Unfold it while it is in your lap. unfold your napkin and use it for occasionally wiping your lips or fingers. At the end of dinner, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.
Elbows. The "no elbows on the table" rule applies only when you are actually eating. When no utensils are being used, putting your elbows on the table is acceptable.
Asking Questions. In foreign restaurants may have menu items you are not familiar with. Its OK to ask questions about items on the menu or about service.
Time a Meal in a Restaurant. If attending diner before another engagement or are on a schedule, its okay to speed up the pace of the meal.
- Let your waiter know you are on a schedule and ask him to recommend something that can be prepared quickly.
- If you want to lengthen a meal, let your server know you’d like to finish drinks before you order your first course and that there is no need to rush between courses.
Seasoning Food. You should taste your food before seasoning it.
Speaking While Eating. If you have more than a few words to sayFirst swallow your food, Rest your fork on your plate and speak before you resume eating.
Don't Drink with a Full Mouth. To avoid leaving food on the rim of the vessel, make sure the mouth is free of food and blot the lips with a napkin before taking a sip of a beverage.
Reaching Food Items. If food items are not easy reach when you are leaning only slightly forward, Don't lean past the person sitting next to you.
Passing Salt and Pepper. When asked to pass the salt, pass both the salt and pepper. Always pass salt and pepper together. If a person asks for just one, pass both anyway.
Saltcellars. Some hostesses prefer to use saltcellars, which salt shakers have largely replaced.
- If there is no spoon in the saltcellar, use the tip of a clean knife to take some salt.
- If the saltcellar is for you alone, you may either use the tip of your knife or you may take a pinch with your fingers.
- If it is to be shared with others, never use your fingers or a knife that is not clean.
Unfamiliar Food. (1) Wait until someone else starts to eat and follow (2) Ask how the food should be eaten (fingers or fork? ). (3) Avoid the food altogether.
Finger Food. When finger food is taken from a tray, place it on a plate. Don't lick your fingers; use a napkin. When in doubt about whether to use fingers or a utensil to eat a particular food, watch those about you and proceed accordingly. If you're still in doubt, use a utensil, usually a fork.
Hot Soup. If soup is too hot, stir it, don’t blow.
Hot Soup. If soup is too hot, stir it, don’t blow.
Leaving a Spoon in Your Cup or Bowl. Don't leave your spoon in your cup, soup bowl, or stemmed glass. Rest the spoon on the saucer or soup plate between bites or when finished.
Restaurant Buffets. When you are dining at a restaurant buffet, never go back to the buffet for a refill with a dirty plate. Leave it for the waitperson to pick up and start afresh with a clean plate.
Coffee and Tea in a Restaurant. If coffee or tea is placed on the table without first having been poured by the waiter, the person nearest the pot should offer to pour, filling his or her own cup last.
Tasting Another Person's Food. Either hand your fork to the person, who can spear a bite-sized piece from her plate and hand the fork back to you, or (if the person is sitting close by) hold your plate toward her so that she can put a morsel on the edge.
Something Caught in your Teeth. When food is caught between the teeth that is annoying or uncomfortable, wait to remove it privately.
Dropped Food. If you drop food on the tablecloth or floor, discreetly use your napkin to retrieve it and ask the waiter for a new napkin. If you spill a glass of wine or water, use your napkin to clean up the mess.
Dropped Food. If you drop food on the tablecloth or floor, discreetly use your napkin to retrieve it and ask the waiter for a new napkin. If you spill a glass of wine or water, use your napkin to clean up the mess.
Dropped Utensils. If you drop a utensil, pick it up yourself if you can and let the waiter know you need a new one. If you cannot reach it, inform the waiter and ask for a replacement.
Spilled Food. At an informal meal, the diner quietly and quickly lifts the food with a utensil and places it on the side of his plate. If food is spilled on another guest, apologize and offer to pay for cleaning (but let the other person wipe up the debris).
Gesturing. Do not gesture with a knife or fork in your hands.
Purse at the Table. Because a purse on the table crowds and disturbs the symmetry of the table setting, in a private residence it is left wherever the hostess suggests, such as in a bedroom or on a chair. In a restaurant or public place, it is held on the lap or placed close at hand.
Lipstick at the Dinner Table. A lady should refrain from replenishing lipstick before coming to the table in order to prevent an imprint of lipstick on the rim of a glass or a napkin.
Food on Your Partner's Face. Your dining partner has food on his face? If you notice a speck of food on someone's face, you're doing them a favor by subtly calling attention to it. You might signal silently by using your index finger to lightly tap your chin or whatever part of the face is affected
Sneezing, Coughing, Blowing your Nose. When sneezing or coughing at the table is unavoidable, cover your nose or mouth with a napkin and proceed as quietly as possible. Except in an emergency, don't use a napkin to blow your nose. Leave the table and use a handkerchief instead.
Burps. When a burp is coming on, cover the mouth with a napkin, quietly burp, and say, "Excuse me." For an attack of hiccups, excuse yourself from the table until they have passed.
Excusing Yourself. Simply say "excuse me, please; I'll be right back" when leaving for the restroom. Leaving without a word is rude.
Problems with the Bill. If there is a problem with the bill, quietly discuss it with the waiter. If the waiter is uncooperative, excuse yourself from the table and ask to speak to the manager.
Declined Credit Card.
- Do not call attention to the situation
- If your card continues to be declined, and you do not have enough cash to pay, ask to pay by check, visit the nearest ATM, or return the next day with cash.
- If the restaurant declines these suggestions, you have no option but to return to the table and throw yourself on the mercy of your companions.
- Repay their kindness within 24 hours, repaying them in cash.
Napkin as a Signal at Meal's End. The host will signal the end of the meal by placing her napkin on the table.
Don’t toss napkins on the table: If you need to get up, place your napkin on your seat, not bunched up on the table (unless you’ve paid and you’re ready to leave).
Lemons. To keep from squirting your dinner companion in the eye when squeezing a lemon wedge, follow this method. First, impale the pulp of the lemon wedge on the fork tines. Next, cup your free hand over the lemon and gently squeeze the fruit.
Hot Towels. In some upscale restaurants, steamed hand towels are brought to diners at the end of the meal. Use the towel to wipe your hands and, if necessary, the area around your mouth. Most waiters will take the towel away as soon as you've finished. If not, leave the towel at the left of your plate, on top of your loosely folded napkin.
And last but not the least, don't forget to make conversation with guests around you. Dinner parties are not just about the food, they are intended to be a sociable occasion.
