UPHR MABDA

DINING MANNERS
1. Don't chew with your mouth open.
It's an obvious rule, but one that's easy to forget when you're enjoying a delicious
meal.
2. Say "excuse me whenever you need to leave the table
3. Ask for someone to pass you a dish or a seasoning.
Never reach across a dish or someone else's plate to reach something; instead, politely
ask the person si?ng next to you to "please pass the sauce."
4. Don't put your elbows on the table when you're eaIng.
It's an old standby to admonish people for pu?ng elbows on the table during a
meal. If the meal has yet to begin or is over, however, pu?ng your elbows on the table
is acceptable.
5. Know how to manage informal and formal place seLngs.
One of the most inCmidaCng parts about dining can be not knowing which utensils or
plates to use. Here's a quick primer:

a) If you forget the parCculars, remember: "work from the outside in." This basically
means that if there are utensils on both the right and leI sides of the plate, you'll
start with what's furthest right and furthest leI, and gradually work closer to the
plate.
b) If all else fails, just watch what everyone else is doing.
c) Or an informal place se?ng, you should have a dinner plate in the centre.
i) Immediately to the leI of the plate will be two forks- the one closest to the
plate is the "dinner fork," to be used for the main course; the one furthest
from the plate is meant for a salad or appeCzer.
ii) A dinner knife will be directly to the right of the plate, with the blade facing
toward it; next to that will be two spoons. The soup spoon is furthest to the
right; the dessert spoon (or teaspoon) is between the soup spoon and the
knife.
iii) Your glass should be posiConed directly above the dinner knife. Subsequent
glasses should be placed to the right.
iv) You might have a small salad plate to the leI of the forks.
v) You might have a small bread plate to the upper-leI of the dinner plate,
with a small buPer knife. Use the buPer knife to take a pat of buPer and
put it on your plate; then use the knife to spread "your" buPer onto the
bread.
vi) A dessert spoon or fork might be placed horizontally above the dinner
plate.
vii) A cup and saucer (if you're drinking coffee or tea) should be placed just
above and to the right of the knife and spoons.
d) Know how to manage formal place se?ng. A formal place se?ng should be mostly
similar to an informal place se?ng, with a few key excepCons:
i) You might have a small fish fork between the dinner fork and the plate, if a
fish course is being served.
 UPHR MABDA

ii) You might have a fish knife between the dinner knife and the soup soon, if
you require one or a fish course.
iii) You might have a small oyster fork on the far right side of the utensils to
the right of the plate, if you'll be eaCng a n oyster course.
iv) Glasses are placed according to type in a formal place se?ng. The one
directly above your dinner knife is your water glass; to the right of that is a
red or white wine glass, and then a sherry glass to the far right.
6. Hold your utensils. How you hold your utensils probably depends on where you
come from. Both are perfectly appropriate. In general, there are two styles:
a) American style: If you're cu?ng food, you'll transfer the fork to your non-dominant
hand and put the knife in your dominant hand. AIer the food is cut, you'll lay down
the blade of the knife on the edge of the plate, and switch the fork back to your
dominant hand to move the food to your mouth.
b) ConInental style: The fork remains in the leI hand, while you use the right hand
to hold the knife and cut your food. Once you're done cu?ng, you might lay the
blade of the knife on the edge of the plate, or just keep the knife in your hand.
7. Know how to rest your utensils. How you put your utensils on your plate
communicates to the service staff whether you're finished eaCng or you sCll plan to
conCnue. For the purpose of these instrucCons, imagine the dinner plate like it's the
face of a clock.
a) If you're finished eaCng, lay your fork and knife side-by side so that the prongs and
blade are slightly above the centre of the plate, and so that the handles are
poinCng between 3 and 4 o'clock.
b) If you plan to conCnue eaCng, lay down your fork and knife so that the prongs and
blade are near the centre, with the handle of one utensil poinCng at 8 o'clock and
the handle of the other poinCng at 4 o'clock.