What is table etiquette? Etiquette rules: eating

A person’s behavior in public institutions can tell a lot about him. We are talking not only about the nature of the conversation with other individuals, but also about how he eats, drinks, and holds cutlery. The rules of etiquette at the table are observed by every well-mannered person, no matter where she is - at home, in a cafe, restaurant or with guests. This knowledge and skills must be taught kindergarten.

What are the rules of table etiquette?

They are based on compliance with aesthetic standards, expediency, and convenience. Basic rules:

• You should sit at the table not too far away and not too close to the edge; you should also not put your elbows on it, only your hands.
• Table etiquette states that you must sit upright in a chair, without bending over a plate of food.
• Don't reach for the dish if it's far away; ask other participants in the meal to pass it along.
• Adults place a napkin for individual use on their laps; children (preschoolers and schoolchildren) tuck it into their collar.
• Ethical behavior allows you to take some products with your hands: sugar, cookies, cakes, fruits.

Rules for using cutlery

Everyone needs to know the table rule of the left and right hands: all cutlery laid out on the left side (only forks) must be held in the left hand (but there are exceptions here too). Knives and spoons are placed on the right - they are operated with the right hand. Soups and broths are eaten hot with a spoon meat dishes– table knife and fork, hot fish– fish knife and fork, desserts – tea or dessert spoon, cold snacks - with a snack knife and fork, fruit - with your hands or fruit cutlery.

How to properly hold a fork or spoon

Hold the spoon so that your thumb is on top of its handle. Draw liquid from the plate away from you, this way you won’t stain your clothes. If you receive broth with chicken pieces, eat it first liquid part dishes, then - using a knife and fork - meat. Don't take the fork too close to the base. Its teeth point down or up depending on the dish.

Which hand should you hold the knife in?

How to hold a fork and knife according to the rules of etiquette at the table? When you eat only with a fork, take it in your right hand; if you use a knife, hold the fork in your left. The index fingers rest against top part The handles of the device help to apply pressure.

Restaurant etiquette

How to behave at the table public institution? Cultured people adhere to the following rules and feel at ease:

• You can start eating when everyone has been served food or drinks.
• According to restaurant etiquette rules, the waiter opens bottles of alcohol at the table.
• Guests of the establishment need to monitor the volume of their conversation - talk in such a way as not to cause discomfort to others.
• The rules of behavior in the restaurant state that you should not clink glasses loudly every time; this is done only during important, ceremonial toasts.

Table setting rules according to etiquette

It is best to arrange items according to the photo - this way you will see what is where. It is not difficult to arrange cutlery correctly. A very sophisticated English style, it conquers the hearts of girls, women, and men. However, many are more accustomed to regular home serving:

• the tablecloth is laid;
• 2-3 cm from the edge there are plates - deep ones on the shallow ones, pie plates on the left;
• Small cellulose napkins are placed under each device;
• to the right of the plate - a tablespoon with the convex side down, a knife with the sharp side facing the plates, on the left a fork with the tines up;
• A glass for juice or water is placed in front of the knife edge;
• Snacks and salads are placed in the center, and common cutlery is placed next to them.

Video about table manners for children

The younger generation best assimilates knowledge presented in a playful or cartoon form. Show your kids a video about Koksik and Shunya. Fairy tale characters Together with the kids they will learn the rules of table etiquette. Aunt Daria will become a kind and wise mentor who will guide boys and girls into the world of cultured people.

We all know without further reminder that table etiquette rules are simply necessary. After all, having this knowledge, we feel much more comfortable and confident at any table. I was inspired to prepare this material by a girl I knew who refused to accept invitations to restaurants and cafes only because she did not know how to handle a knife and fork correctly. Now this problem has already been solved for her, but certainly certain points in food etiquette may cause us doubts. To ensure that there are as few such doubts as possible, let's look at the basic rules of etiquette at the table.

First, how to sit? Not too far from the edge of the table, but not too close either, and naturally, do not put your elbows on the table. There is a small exception for women, when she can briefly lean one elbow on the table, but only in case of emergency, for example, if her arm is tired. You should sit straight on a chair and not bend over the plate. There are no exceptions for anyone here.

Before you start your meal, you need to “deal” with the napkin. A napkin intended for individual use should be unfolded and placed on your lap. While eating, do not wipe your lips with such a napkin; for these purposes it is better to use paper ones, and only after finishing your meal can you touch your lips and wipe your fingertips with a linen napkin. Where to put it then? Just put it on the table.

Even if you've worked up an appetite, don't gobble up food. Eat slowly to enjoy your food even more. Of course, if you like the dish, eat it to the end, but under no circumstances clean the bottom of the plate with a piece of bread. Just imagine that your tablemate will do this, isn’t it a pleasant sight?

WITH common dish The food is taken with common utensils (special tongs, forks, spoons are intended for this) and transferred to a plate. Don't forget to put these devices back in their place. And don’t get confused: only use common cutlery on your plate, but not individual cutlery from a common dish. If the dish is at a fairly large distance from you, do not reach across the entire table; ask the waiter or neighbor to serve it to you.

The rules of etiquette at the table do not prohibit taking bread, cookies, cakes, fruits, citrus fruits with your hands - this is exactly what is customary. Refined sugar is also included in this category, but if you have special tongs nearby, use them.

Since we are talking about bread, it should be recalled that this is a very delicate product, one might even say that there is its own bread etiquette. For example, it is not customary to bite off a whole piece of bread. It is eaten in small pieces, which are broken off on your plate. Also whole piece It is not customary to spread bread with butter. This is best done by gradually breaking off pieces and spreading butter on each of them. If there is a pie plate next to you, which is specially designed for bread, then put it in it, transferring the bread from the common plate. Place into a pie plate with a clean knife and butter, which is then spread on pieces of bread. They do the same with caviar, only for caviar there is its own device - a special spatula. The pate can be taken either with a knife or a fork. It is also customary to take sandwiches by hand. If they are prepared as a snack, they are eaten with a knife and fork.

Hot snacks from cocotte makers or chillers are eaten with a cocotte fork or a teaspoon. Hot fish is eaten with a fish knife and fork. As a last resort, if there are no special utensils, you can use two table forks.

Now about the soup. It is eaten slowly and silently. If the soup is very hot, do not stir it with a spoon; it is better to wait until it cools down. Use a spoon to scoop it away from you and bring it to your mouth with the wide left edge. If you finish the soup, slightly lift the plate away from you with your left hand. If necessary, crush the dumplings, noodles, and potatoes in the soup with the edge of a spoon. At the end of the meal, the spoon is left on the plate.

Broths are served in cups (bouillon bowls) with one or two handles. From a cup with one handle, the broth can be drunk as tea, and from a cup with two handles it should be eaten with a spoon.

Cold fish dishes are eaten using snack utensils. However, this is what they do with all cold appetizer dishes. But hot smoked fish gastronomy - with the help of fish utensils. In all cases, if the bones get into your mouth, you should carefully and, if possible, unnoticed, remove them with your hand and place them on the edge of the plate.

Using cutlery - a knife and fork - they eat such natural meat dishes as pork and lamb chops, steaks, fillets, splints, liver, etc. In this case, the knife is held in the right hand, the fork in the left. Meatballs, cutlets, chopped zrazy, cabbage rolls, omelettes and others soft dishes where the use of a knife would be unnecessary, eat with a fork, which is now held in the right hand.

Dishes and snacks made from natural meat, cheese, sausage, and ham are not immediately cut into small pieces. This causes the dish to quickly cool down and lose its appeal. It is better to cut off the pieces gradually, naturally using a knife and fork. The same is done with poultry and game.

True, there is an exception for “tabaka” chickens. It is eaten with hands, but at the same time vases or bowls with warm water for rinsing fingers. Usually pieces of lemon or rose petals are dipped into this water. In this case, clean cotton napkins must be served, or, in extreme cases, paper napkins, which are immediately removed at the end of the meal. They also eat asparagus and crayfish.

In general, for crayfish, lobsters, and lobsters, there are special devices that consist of a short fork and a spatula. From the body of the crayfish, only the meat located in the claw is eaten. Then the crayfish is turned over on its back, the neck is separated and the meat is picked out with a fork.

Sturgeon, beluga, boiled and hot smoked stellate sturgeon are eaten only with a fork.

Mustard and salt are taken with special spoons. The mustard is placed on the bottom of the plate, not on the edge, on the right side.

Soft-boiled eggs are served in a special glass (poached glass), the shell is lightly broken with a spoon, placed in a saucer, the egg is eaten carefully, trying not to spill the yolk. Scrambled eggs and omelet with ham are eaten with a fork in the right hand, and, if necessary, help with a piece of bread, holding it in the left hand.

It happens that eating needs to be temporarily interrupted. In such cases, the knife and fork are placed on the plate as they were held, the knife with the handle to the right, the fork with the handle to the left. Such cases may be a temporary absence from the table, or the need to drink water, take bread, put a piece of meat, etc.

Let's move on to dessert. For dessert dishes, special utensils are provided, with the help of which sponge cakes, puddings, ice cream, creams, etc. are eaten. When is dessert served (tea, coffee, confectionery), excess dishes, bottles, glasses, wine glasses are removed from the table. Vases with jam, sweets, cookies, plates with thinly sliced ​​lemon, sugar, and rosettes for jam are placed on the table. When a cake or pie is served, a dessert plate is placed for each guest, a dessert knife or spoon is placed to the right of it, and a dessert fork is placed to the left. Tea and coffee are placed to the right of the dessert plate, with the handle of the mug or cup turned to the left. The cream is served hot in a milk jug or creamer, which is served on a saucer. Sponge cakes eaten dessert fork, sometimes with a teaspoon, hard cakes that crumble easily, eat while holding them with your hand.

Now let's talk about fruits and berries. Apples and pears are cut lengthwise into 4-8 pieces with a fruit knife on a plate, peeled and the seed nest is removed. These pieces are no longer cut, but bitten straight off. A peach or apricot is taken in the left hand and cut in a circle to the pit, after which it is broken and the pit is removed with a knife. You can cut pieces from the halves, but you can also use whole halves. Bananas are held in the left hand and peeled gradually. Berries (raspberries, strawberries) are eaten only with a teaspoon. Watermelons and melons are served cut into slices with peel. Taking a slice of watermelon from a communal plate, place it on an individual plate, skin side down, and cut thin slices with a fruit knife. The mango is cut in half on a plate, the bone is removed and the pulp is eaten with a spoon. The pineapple is peeled, cut crosswise into thin slices, placed on a plate and eaten with a knife and fork. Oranges and tangerines are eaten by cutting the peel and dividing the pulp into 5-6 parts, from which they are then separated into slices. The fruits from the compote are eaten with a dessert spoon, and with its help the seeds are placed on a saucer.

Concluding our conversation, I would like to remind you of some obvious things. For example, a teaspoon is only intended for stirring tea. After stirring tea or coffee, they no longer use it, but put it on a saucer. When cutting food, the fork is held obliquely and not perpendicular to the plate. At the end of the meal, the fork and knife are placed on the plate and not on the tablecloth.

Today we only talked about the basic rules of etiquette at the table, of which we counted a little more than 45. But the conversation about etiquette is far from over, and very soon we will definitely return to this topic. In the meantime, I want to wish you to enjoy your food not only at the height of taste, but also at the height good manners!

Our etiquette is not as strict as English. And yet the rules of good manners at the table should not be neglected. They exist for people who want to feel comfortable during any feast. No wonder it is considered: good manners - business card a true lady or gentleman.

Table etiquette rules: serving cutlery

At home, we usually make do with a minimum of cutlery. For example, we often dine without a knife. Another thing is eating in a restaurant. All the shiny elements of serving - knives, spoons and forks - are placed there in the same order in which the order is fulfilled. First they bring soup, then chicken, then fish and finally - dessert dishes. Knowing this rule, you need to take the device farthest from the plate first.

Each tableware has its own location and purpose. Before dinner, on the right side of the snack plate there is a knife and spoon. On the left side it is customary to place the pie plate, as well as forks and a disposable paper napkin.

Dessert cutlery should be placed in front of the plate. Behind them is placed crystal - glasses and glasses. On the snack plate lies a folded cloth napkin and a wine glass.

10 golden rules of restaurant dining ethics

1. In Russia, at the end of the toast, it is customary to thank the congratulatory person with a slight nod of the head. In Germany they always look into the eyes of the person they clink glasses with.
2. It is considered bad manners to bring from a bar to dining table cocktail.
3. Don’t even think about placing personal items on the table: wallet, cosmetic bag, keys. Elbows should also be removed from the table.
4. Do not blow on a hot dish during lunch; it will cool down on its own.
5. Do not use a tissue to remove lipstick from your lips. It is customary to cover your knees and wipe your mouth from food debris. After eating, it is placed to your left, and the used paper is placed on a plate.
6. The correct use of a knife and fork, according to European etiquette, involves constantly holding them in your hands while eating. In America, after cutting a piece of meat, you can lower the knife and pick up the fork with your right hand.
7. You should try to chew food silently: chomping, talking or laughing with your mouth full are taboos in polite society.
8. If the steak you ordered for dinner contains cartilage and you feel one of them in your mouth with your tongue, you should remove it with a fork. But you can remove the olive pit from your mouth with two fingers.
9. There is no need to move your plate and cup away from you after finishing your meal. Leave all appliances in their places.
10. After eating, you should not place a knife and fork crosswise on your plate: this is how restaurant customers in some countries make it clear that they did not like the dish. These devices need to be placed diagonally on the plate parallel to each other.

How to behave when visiting

Going on a visit is a kind of test of one’s ability to behave in any society. Despite the informality of the atmosphere, all rules of etiquette should be observed. By the way, an invitation to dinner for the whole family is an occasion to teach table ethics to your child. Even at home, it is necessary to teach children the correct behavior at a party and how to use cutlery.

It would be good for adults themselves to remember the basic requirements of table etiquette:

• the invitation to start the meal must come from the hosts; before this, the guests sit quietly at the table, holding their hands on their knees;
• During dinner, cutlery is passed from one guest to another in a counterclockwise direction;
• You should not reach out for a salad bowl that is standing far from you - just ask your neighbor to pass it to you;
• if donuts and jam are served for dessert, you need to break the donut into small pieces with your hands and spread them one by one with jam, putting them in your mouth one at a time;
• Only after swallowing food and wiping your lips with a napkin can you drink water or wine;
• According to the rules of etiquette, you cannot paint your lips at the table after eating: it is extremely unpleasant to see a girl or woman doing marafet where they are eating.

After visiting, some people send the hosts an SMS message with words of gratitude.

The nuances of table conversation

Proper conversation at the table should be enjoyable for everyone present. It is allowed to talk about business only after the meal is over.

When eating, taboo topics are:

• illness;
• anatomical features of men and women;
• intimate problems;
• income;
• industrial conflicts;
• religious and political themes.

You shouldn’t get carried away with a monologue; it’s better to demonstrate your ability to listen. It is not recommended to be interested in the social status or age of your interlocutors. Subtle humor and relevant remarks about the weather, art or culture are welcome, but without delving into the subject of conversation.

Conclusion

The rules of dining ethics will come in handy more than once in life. By showing correctness and courtesy at a dinner party, you will make the most favorable impression on those around you. After this, you will be considered a pleasure to do business with.

Comment on the article "Modern rules of table etiquette"

How to behave when visiting. Serious question. About yours, about your girl’s. Discussion of issues about a woman’s life in the family, at work, relationships with men. Modern table etiquette rules. Despite the informality of the atmosphere, all rules of etiquette should be observed.

The film Pinocchio, the Soviet cartoon about Drakosha, “for me and again for me”, it’s there on chocolate factory exactly like a piggy behaved)) Cartoon Oh yes, thank you, this is from the same place as the song of the piglets. There’s also “If you put a pig at the table, I’ll put my feet on the table.” 10/19/2017 14:30:25...

We were worried that the cat didn’t know the streets at all. Then I tried the aerevka method on this forum and decided to try it. Since the cat lived in the summer kitchen, I decided to tie the legs of the table there. I placed food and milk in the center. She said: “Brownie, show Kitchen the way home.”

Discussion

Help!!!
The cat is 5-6 months old, found on the street, not neutered, Handsome lives in the yard, he was so eager to go outside that his heart was breaking, he let him go under supervision, he already ran away once and did not return (I found him myself), he has not been at home for 12 days, all day long I’m crying, I asked all the neighbors, no one knows, he was so affectionate, but also sooo arrogant, I don’t know what to do anymore...
Help, please, I'm already going crazy...

Help!
Our cat is 5-6 months old, he was found on the street, not neutered, he already ran away once and never returned (I found him myself). We live in a private house, Handsome lived in the yard, in the morning, when the car was leaving, he ran out into the street, he has not been home for 13 days, I have been crying for so long, I don’t know what to do, I asked all the neighbors, he is nowhere...
Please tell me what to do...

For example, jumping back and forth from the table to the table, interrupting someone during a conversation, helping yourself to a mountain of food and then not finishing it, and so on. Copes when and how Share your experience of how you taught your children to behave well during a family dinner.

Discussion

listen, where did all this nonsense come from about “While I’m eating, I’m deaf and dumb”? How is it possible to sit at the table and not start talking? Why then gather at one table at all?

Well, just as all people eat, so do children:-) When you sit down, eat. Don't get involved in adult conversations. Don’t indulge in food, don’t cook, don’t pick at the plate. If the conversation is general, you can support and participate. You sit at the table for a long time - everyone will eat, get up and leave, and you will be left alone. Don't push or distract each other. No toys. I got up - I needed to put the dishes away after myself and put them on the countertop by the sink. If they suddenly go wild and rowdy, it means they are not hungry - everyone is free :-))
Oh, I fooled around and bought an oilcloth tablecloth with all sorts of fruits and berries. Now they “take” these fruits, “eat them” and still manage to quarrel over who “took” the pineapple tea :-)) We need to remove it, otherwise they get very distracted :-))

Discussion

1. I’m just tired of looking for good manuals and books on safety (fires, emergencies, etc. for children)!!! All this is VERY necessary and all this is very much required in kindergartens... Any kindergarten has plans that include all safety measures, both in working with children and in working with teachers and parents. There is also a law that obliges all child care institutions to familiarize children with the rules of behavior during fires and emergencies, and I’ll tell you a secret, training evacuations must take place in every child care center twice a year. Just try to explain all this to the children in your hands...eh? so much so that it all stays in children’s heads for a long time.
2. Well, this is elementary, Watson:) of course, it’s necessary. After all, this is our culture, which is laid down with mother’s milk. I can write a report on this topic, right away. As confirmation of my words: even in many kindergartens the subject of ETIQUETTE or good manners has now been introduced. But there are also very few benefits for them: ((((
3. What does it mean not to touch? You surprised me. The basics of any safety are just knowing the rules of safe use and what can happen. And if you don’t touch it, it’s a “forbidden fruit”, which, as you know, is sweet

1 Definitely needed
2 Discuss. Correctly.
3 Necessarily discuss. Some adults (from whom they hid knives and scissors in childhood) do not know how to correctly pass a knife, how not to cut themselves, how not to prick themselves. More books - good and educational!

Parents should be on an equal footing at the table. Kirill and Maria have been married for 15 years and have a 13-year-old daughter, Natasha. I won’t tell him, “Behave decently at the table,” and maybe I’ll help him eat first, and then I’ll eat myself.

Discussion

However, he never shaves. For six years now I have been winning the fight for his beard, speculating with my son (that he does not recognize daddy without a beard).
There are no elongated sweatpants in the household; there are homemade jeans. It's just the weekend, like weekdays - in them. On holidays (for example, today, etc.) he puts on trousers instead, and also a shirt and tie. Then he holds it very funny, pouring wine and “courting” it with salad, but on principle he does not wear the hairpin.

A man should at least feel like a man at home. Mine also likes to scratch his balls and walks around in shorts and shorts, the heat at home is terrible. But if I shaved every day, I would probably think that something is wrong, it shouldn’t be so Something must be happening to a person if he can’t relax at home