Oh the joy of good food- to eat and drink and be merry in great company. It’s wonderful to be invited to a beautifully well planned home cooked dinner, or to a fancy restaurant by a handsome suiter. However, sometimes it can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming if you’re not very well versed on the dos and don’ts of dining etiquette. Hence the importance to make the effort to learn about said etiquette and how to go about the whole “ordeal”.
Here are some guidelines to be aware of in order to make dinner a lot more enjoyable for yourself and for your company… With these basics you should get along perfectly fine.
Dining etiquette basics
- Remember to always dress well and appropriate for the occasion.
- Put the phone away and out of sight. Enjoy your meal and be in the moment, without the interruption of technology. Allowing your phone to distract you sends a message to your company that they’re not as important as the person on the other side of your phone. Make conversation with the guests- learn the art of conversation.
- Place the napkin on your lap right after being seated. Use it to dab food from your mouth throughout the meal and to protect yourself from spilling food onto your lap.
- Wait for everyone to be served before you start eating your food.
- In terms of table settings, your glasses will be placed on your right (if you don’t learn this rule you may find yourself in the awkward position of sipping on your neighbor’s drink).
- Do not ever season your food before tasting it. Not only is it an insult to the chef/ host but it will also save you from having too much seasoning in your food. How are you going to enjoy your meal if it’s too salty?
- The order in which to use set cutlery is to start from the outside and work your way towards the inside. If you’re still confused or don’t know what to do have a look at what everyone else or the host is doing.
- Remember to hold your utensils properly- fork on the left, knife on the right.
- Do not blow at your food to cool it down if it’s too hot and definitely don’t put it in your mouth while sizzling. Rather wait for your meal to cool down to your liking and enjoy.
- Chew with your mouth closed- never talk with food in your mouth.
- Bring your food to your mouth instead of hunching or bending over towards your plate
- Wait until you’re done chewing and you’ve swallowed, before you take a sip of your drink.
- Do not reach across the table to get something, rather ask for it to be passed to you.
- If someone asks for the salt, pass them both salt and pepper. That way we avoid the case of the missing salt/ pepper.
- When eating soup, remember to spoon it away and not towards you.
- If you must leave the table simply excuse yourself, and maybe even add a promise to be back soon (eg say “excuse me, I’ll be right back”). There is no need to divulge the details of where it is you’re going (i.e. restroom) nor what you’re going to do. No one needs to know.
- When stepping away from the table place napkin (folded to not display any dirt) to the left or right of your plate.
- If there’s a glass with a stem, i.e. wine and champagne glasses make sure to hold the glass by the stem. Practice this until it becomes second nature, it’s the correct manner and it looks more polished.
- Always remember your p’s and q’s- to say “please” and “thank you”.
- And finally savour the food and enjoy yourself; take part in the conversation, laugh and have a great time. After all, food is for enjoying!
Being aware of proper dining etiquette is crucial; you’ll always be comfortable and relaxed and know exactly what it is you’re doing (and avoid any embarrassment of your own doing), and you’ll make a great impression.
Remember it takes practice to become refined in anything, so practice until you’ve mastered these etiquette rules and they come naturally to you.
Remember; good manners and good wine are timeless. Cheers to a life well-lived,
Makgoadi Ngoasheng
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