Dinning Etiquette

Dinning Etiquette

Let’s learn the basic dining etiquette needed for enjoying meals at weddings, seminars in hotels, or fine dining establishments. Table manners can reveal a person's upbringing and sophistication.

​Mannsers Maketh man

 

Seating at the Table

When seated at a dining table, approach from the left side of the chair to sit down.

 

Using the Cloth Napkin

The cloth napkin is a linen napkin placed on the table. Before the meal begins, place the napkin on your lap. During the meal, use it to wipe your mouth and keep it on your lap to avoid showing any food stains to others. If you need to leave the table briefly, it’s polite to place the napkin on your chair or to the left of your plate. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief when coughing or sneezing, but if necessary, you can also use your napkin.

Using Tableware

The arrangement of tableware may vary slightly based on the meal type (breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner), but the overall setup remains consistent.

 

Use the outermost knife, fork, and spoon first, working your way inward. When dining at a round table, be mindful not to confuse your cup or bread plate with those of your neighbors. To remember which is which, you can make an "OK" sign with your left and right hands: the left represents 'B' for Bread, and the right represents 'D' for Drink. Your bread plate should be on your left, while your cup is on your right.

 

Meaning of Fork and Knife Positions

• Pause: Meal in progress
• Finished: Meal completed
• Ready for Next Plate: Please serve the next course
• Don’t Like: Not to my taste
• Excellent: Absolutely delicious

Food Consumption Manners

• Soup: In American style, scoop from the front of your bowl outward; in European style, scoop from the outside inward. Feel free to choose whichever method you prefer.
• Bread: Tear bread with your hands, without using a knife. In Western culture, wine and bread symbolize the body and blood of Christ.
• Steak or Fish: Cut only what you can eat, and keep your mouth closed while chewing to avoid making noise. Swallow all food before taking another bite.
• Wine: When toasting with wine or drinks, maintain eye contact. Start with white wine, which should be held closer to the body, and then move on to red wine after finishing the white (White before Red). The wine glass for white wine is tall and narrow, while the red wine glass is round and wider.

 

In summary, understanding and practicing these dining etiquette tips will enhance your sophistication and poise.