manners MATTER
Basic
Table
Setting
Karen La Corte is an
etiquette and manners
expert trained and certi-
fied by the Emily Post
Institute in Vermont. She
has been teaching eti-
quette and manners to
children and adults for
over thirty years. She is
also a certified image
and fashion consultant.
Karen is happy to answer
any personal etiquette or
image questions you may
have by emailing her at
[email protected]
G
ood table manners begin at home. You’ll
have fundamental rules set in place
when you dine out in a restaurant
or in someone else’s home. Depending
on the type of dinner party you are hav-
ing, you can set a table that is basic
and casual to one that is polished and
refined. This is where the fun begins.
You can incorporate your artistic style
and personal expression in your table
by the dishes and silverware you
choose, the linens that are selected,
and the centerpiece that takes center
stage. Your menu and the beverages you
will be serving will also influence how you
should set the table.
Here are a few simple rules to help you that
are timeless.
• Use the silverware farthest from your
plate first.
• A fork is preferable to a spoon.
• Forks should go to the left of the
plate, and the knife and spoons
should go to the right.
• The salad fork should be on the far
left, and the main course fork should
be closest to the plate.
• To the right of the plate, the meat
knife should be closest to the plate
(cutting edge facing the plate), fol-
lowed by the bread knife, the tea-
spoon, and the soup spoon. A cock-
tail fork may be placed to the right of
the soup spoon. This is the only fork
placed to the right of the plate, the
exception to the rule.
• A small butter knife is placed diago-
nally on top of the bread and butter
plate. This dish should sit to the left
of the dinner plate above the forks. It
may also sit to the right of the dinner
plate to the left of the water glass, if
wine glasses are not being used.
• A salad plate may be set to the left
of the dinner plate above the forks.
Or, if salad is being served to you, it
may be placed on top of your dinner
plate.
•
88
BY KAREN LA CORTE
The napkin can be placed to the
left of the forks, under the fork or
forks, in one of the wine glasses or
water glass, or placed atop the din-
ner plate. It is opened only half way
when placed on your lap. Luncheon
napkins are opened fully.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
• The water glass should be positioned
directly above the knives to the right of
the dinner plate. Bottled water may be
served in a more casual atmosphere,
however, a water glass should still be
offered.
• When serving wine, the red wine
glass and the white wine glass should
be placed after the water glass in that
order. Glasses can be set on a diagonal
toward the center of the table to allow
more room. your choice of timing for
serving champagne will dictate to the
positioning of the champagne flute.
• Food is served from the left. Beverages,
and empty plates are removed from the
right.
• Soup is eaten with the soup spoon and
crackers are eaten with the fingers. The
spoon is scooped away from you, not
towards you. There’s an old saying I used
to tell my kids to help them remember:
“As a ship goes out to sea, so I scoop
my soup away from me.” I can’t remem-
ber where that came from, but the saying
has been in my mother’s house and my
house forever.
• Bread is to be buttered with a knife. The
butter is to be placed on your butter dish
first, and then butter one piece at a time.
• Dessert spoons and forks can be brought
in on the dessert plate just before des-
sert is served, or they may be placed
directly above the dinner plate, spoon
handle facing right and fork handle left,
fork below the spoon. Use the fork to
hold the dessert in place and to push the
food onto the spoon if necessary.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
gmhtoday.com