Table manners are not complicated to learn and they help make a great impression on others. Save yourself from social embarrassment and learn some of the basic table manners that everyone should know.
Laying the table
Whether it is a formal dinner or a much more casual occasion, the basic rules do not vary when laying the table.
Give each person as much elbow room as the table permits.
Leave an even amount of space between places.
Knives and spoons go on the right, forks on the left.
Formally, it is always correct to lay side plates – even if they are not going to be used – with the napkins simply folded on/besides them.
Using the cutlery
At a small table of only two to four people, wait until everyone else has been served before starting to eat. At a formal or business meal, you should either wait until everyone is served to start or begin when the host asks you to.
Hold the fork in your left hand, with the tines facing downwards.
Hold the knife in your right hand, an inch or two above the plate and extend your index finger along the top of the blade.
Use your fork to spear and lift the food to your mouth.
If the knife is not needed, it remains on the table.
Never gesture with your cutlery, and don’t scrape or clatter it noisily against your plate or bowl.
Cutlery should be rested on the plate/bowl between bites, and placed together in the bottom-center when you are finished.
So, have you had any bad experiences with someone without table manners?
Contributed by: Ramsha Tofique.
