Manners Monday

Wow. I had a crazy day yesterday. In the process, I never managed to get the post up about manners. So, I will make up 

for it, and do:

Manners Monday:

(on Tuesday)

This will touch more on etiquette today. How to set a table, or what is what at a set table, and how to eat the tricky foods...

Dinner Setting Photo by Replacement, Ltd.

The best tip for any event, is to follow the Hostess. Even at a more formal event. You never want the hostess to feel upstaged. You do not ever want her to be embarrassed by your actions. Keep in mind, if you do not care for all this hooplah, make your polite excuses at the time you are invited, and do not go. Simple. :)

Napkin: When you sit down, unfold the napkin and place on your         lap. Don't shake it out, just simply place it. NEVER put it around your neck.

Which Silverware??? Use the silverware farthest from your plate first. Sometimes, the dessert fork will be placed above the plate, or even brought out with the dessert.

That's the basics of that. Now, to a few difficult foods. Finger food or not? I could go on and on about this...but I won't. So, just a few:

Asparagus: Most people, at home, will pick this up with their fingers and bite it, if your're like my kids, you stab the whole thing with a fork. At a formal event, use a fork and knife. It really does look a lot better.

Chicken: Fork and knife. If you are at a BBQ, yes. Have at it. Be as messy as you want. Any other time, use a fork and knife.

Soup: Dip the spoon into the soup, moving it away from the body, until it is about two-thirds full, then sip the liquid (without slurping) from the side of the spoon (without inserting the whole bowl of the spoon into the mouth).

It is perfectly fine to tilt the bowl slightly (again away from the body) to get the last spoonful or two of soup.

To eat bread while eating your soup, don't hold the bread in one hand and your soup spoon in the other. When ready to eat a bite of your bread, place the spoon on the under plate, then use the same hand to take the bread to your mouth.

Spaghetti:The perfect method for eating spaghetti or other long stringy pasta is to twirl it around your fork. Use a spoon to help if needed.

It is also acceptable to cut pasta with a knife and fork. You can get some leverage by turning the pasta while holding the tines of your fork against the edge of your plate. It's even correct to neatly cut the pasta if twirling is too hard.

What is undeniably bad manners is slurping in a mouthful of trailing pasta without benefit of twirl or knife. It's often loud, and it's never pretty.