Unit-1 Dining Etiquettes

TABLE MANNERS

Table manners are the rules used while eating, which may also include the use of utensils. Whether you're eating at a fancy restaurant, in the cafeteria, or at home with friends and families, good table manners make for a more pleasant meal. While you may not need to worry about confusing your salad fork with your desert fork when dining with friends, some basic table manners should never be forgotten.

Here are some easy-to-follow Do's and Don'ts: -

COMMON DOs–

·         Sit properly (and straight) in your chair

·         Talk about pleasant things

·         Place your napkin on your lap

·         Wait until everyone is seated before starting to eat

·         Watch others, or ask, if you're not sure how to eat something

·         Ask someone to pass the food, rather than reach across the table

·         Chew with your mouth closed

·         Don't talk with your mouth full

·         Use a knife and fork to cut your meat

·         Say "excuse me" or "I'm sorry" if you burp

·         Say "no thank you" if you don't want a certain dish or are full

·         Say "may I please be excused" before leaving the table

COMMON DON’Ts –

·         Don't talk about gross things

·         Don't ask for seconds before others have had firsts

·         Don't take more than your fair share

·         Don't overload your fork or plate

·         Don't gobble your food

·         Don't chew with your mouth open

·         Don't talk with your mouth full

·         Don't play at the table

·         Don't hum or sing at the table

·         Don't tip your chair or lean on the table

·         Don't eat with or lick your fingers

·         Don't push your plate away when you're finished

SOME INTERESTING TABLE MANNERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES–

·      In Afghanistan, when bread is dropped on the floor, it’s lifted and kissed

·      In parts of Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, diners pay respect to Pachamama the Andean goddess of fertility and harvest, by spilling a few drops of their drink on the ground and saying, "Para la Pachamama." This ritual is called "ch’alla."

·      Showing up fashionably late is socially acceptable in Canada, while showing up on time or early is not

·      Chileans always use utensils. It is bad manners to touch any part of your meal with your hands

·      In China, a host can tell that you enjoyed the meal when you’ve made a mess around your table. And leaving just a bit of food on your plate shows that you’re full and you had enough to eat. Although, it’s rude to leave any rice leftover in your bowl

·      It’s customary in Egypt to wait for someone else to refill your glass and for you to refill your neighbor’s glass when needed. If a glass is less than half full, it needs refilling. If your neighbor forgets to refill your glass, you can let them know it needs to be refilled by pouring a little more drink into their glass. It’s never acceptable, however, to refill your own glass

·      Ethiopians consider it wasteful to eat with utensils or with more than one plate for a group. Diners share one plate and eat with their right hand. In some parts of Ethiopia, a tradition called "gursha" is practiced in which people feed each other

·      The French never eat bread as an appetizer. Instead, it’s eaten with the meal and is used as a utensil to scoop up food off the plate and into your mouth. Bread is even placed directly on the table as a knife or fork would be there

·      In Georgia, toasting lasts for hours. Everyone at the table goes around in a circle making toasts before emptying their glasses in one big sip. Once every person at the table has made a toast, they go around the circle again. Ten to 15 (small) glasses per person are typically consumed in an evening, and Georgians only toast with wine or vodka, or with beer if they wish someone bad luck

·      If your pizza doesn’t have Parmesan on it, it’s not a good idea to ask for it. Putting Parmesan on pizza is considered a culinary sin in Italy

·      Slurping, usually when eating noodles or soup, is a sign of appreciation for the chef. The louder the slurp, the greater the thanks

·      Using a fork and knife to eat a taco is considered silly and snobby in Mexico. It’s polite to eat it with your hands

·      In Russia, vodka is always drunk neat. Adding any mixer—even ice—is seen as polluting vodka’s purity. The only exception is beer, which, when mixed with vodka, produces a drink called "yorsh." Also, offering someone a drink is a sign of trust and friendship, and turning it down is very offensive

·      In Thailand, forks are mainly used to push food into a spoon. They should only be used to put food that is not rice-based into your mouth. Also, chopsticks are considered tacky eating utensils

·      Eating on a carpet or mat in Tanzania is customary. But showing the soles of your feet is seen as impolite