Manners Matter #6, Tuesday [4/14]
Today, there was a big, round table set up in the middle of the classroom, set with an elaborate table setting.
"Go ahead and take a seat, and we'll talk about table settings," said Mary. "Now, a setting like this can be a little intimidating at first. How do you know which water glass is yours and which is your neighbor's? Whose bread plate is whose? And what are you supposed to do with all those forks? I mean, it's like someone was just bored and kept trying to figure out ways to use every single piece of flatware they owned..."
Mary stopped and thought about her words. "Okay, yes, we're trying to make this less scary. Really, there's some simple guidelines for navigating a place setting. Your forks always go on the left, knives on the right with the plate turned in towards the plate, and spoons go to the right of the knife. You typically go from the outside in, so you start with the outermost fork for the first course and so on. We have one big exception, and that's an oyster fork, which is the only one that goes on the right side of the plate with the spoons. Luckily, if you're not having oysters, you won't be seeing that one," said Mary, picking up her oyster fork and tossing it over her shoulder. It hit the ground with a clatter.
"In reality, you probably want to avoid doing that. As for all those glasses, the general rule is your solid items like bread and butter go on the left side and your liquid items like water glasses, wine glasses and coffee cups go on the right side.
"Finally, one last little tip: if you're in a restaurant or anywhere where your food is being served by a waiter, the wait staff will usually guide you a little bit through the place setting. They will take away your extra forks and knives at the end of each course, or they will bring you extras if you need more than three forks, if there's a fourth course served. And believe me, if you're eating at someone's home, they'll never use a set-up this elaborate."
"Go ahead and take a seat, and we'll talk about table settings," said Mary. "Now, a setting like this can be a little intimidating at first. How do you know which water glass is yours and which is your neighbor's? Whose bread plate is whose? And what are you supposed to do with all those forks? I mean, it's like someone was just bored and kept trying to figure out ways to use every single piece of flatware they owned..."
Mary stopped and thought about her words. "Okay, yes, we're trying to make this less scary. Really, there's some simple guidelines for navigating a place setting. Your forks always go on the left, knives on the right with the plate turned in towards the plate, and spoons go to the right of the knife. You typically go from the outside in, so you start with the outermost fork for the first course and so on. We have one big exception, and that's an oyster fork, which is the only one that goes on the right side of the plate with the spoons. Luckily, if you're not having oysters, you won't be seeing that one," said Mary, picking up her oyster fork and tossing it over her shoulder. It hit the ground with a clatter.
"In reality, you probably want to avoid doing that. As for all those glasses, the general rule is your solid items like bread and butter go on the left side and your liquid items like water glasses, wine glasses and coffee cups go on the right side.
"Finally, one last little tip: if you're in a restaurant or anywhere where your food is being served by a waiter, the wait staff will usually guide you a little bit through the place setting. They will take away your extra forks and knives at the end of each course, or they will bring you extras if you need more than three forks, if there's a fourth course served. And believe me, if you're eating at someone's home, they'll never use a set-up this elaborate."