Dining Etiquette
Dining etiquette can make or break people’s perceptions of us. Have you ever felt uncomfortable eating a messy burger or saucy spaghetti while in the company of others? And if you’ve ever wondered what you should be doing with the napkin when leaving the table, you are not alone!
Dining is a delightful opportunity to host memorable conversations with loved ones, make new connections, turn strangers into friends, or even impress a client. That’s why the very last thing we should be doing is awkwardly figuring out table manners. They should come naturally.
Having a well-established knowledge of the rules and guidelines around dining etiquette will give you confidence, so that you no longer think about how or when to do something. Armed with this information, you can relax, enjoy your company and, of course, the delicious food.
Place setting
Charger plates
Cutlery
Water, wine, champagne glasses
Bread plate
Salt and pepper shakers
and more
Topics
Cutlery and glassware
Correct way of holding cutlery
Holding glass with vs without a stem
Guidelines for left handed people
Cutlery placement when pausing, finished
and more
Shared foods
Correct way of eating shared foods
Shared finger food vs a shared dish
Passing food to another
and more
Tricky food
Spaghetti
Burgers
Prawns, mussels, oysters
Asparagus
Pizza
and more
Napkin etiquette
Purpose
Different sizes
Placement during a meal, when leaving a table
Correct way of using
and more
General table rules
When to start eating
Placement of personal items
Mobile phones
Elbows
Conversational topics
and more
Toasts
Toast vs speech
How to make a toast
When you are toasted
and more
Essential cultural differences
Cutlery placement
Zigzag eating style
Adapting the etiquette of the place rather than the country
and more
Restaurant vs private home
Setting your dinner table
Asking for additional things which are not at the table
When you do not like the food
Finishing food
and more
* Not all topics might be covered in one seminar/lecture/class/workshop.