– Learn To Use Cutlery In A Formal Dinner
You don’t have to turn down that formal dinner invitation. Simply take time to learn these skills and you will have fun once you’re confident and doing everything correctly at the dinner.
1. Utensil placement
Basically, you should follow the utensil placement in order from the farthest from the plate and work your way inward. Forks to the left, with the salad fork first, then dinner fork beside the plate. On the right side, you will find the knife, appetizer, spoon, soup spoon and oyster fork. The knife blades are usually placed with the cutting sides closest to the plates. You should also know that not all formal dinner will have all these flatware mentioned.
If you’re ever in doubt about which fork to use, follow the lead of the host. It will be polite as long as you don’t make it obvious or embarrass the host.
2. Eating techniques
Knowing how t eat with the utensils is important in a formal dinner if you want to appear savvy. Put the fork in the hand you use for eating or writing. British cut meat by lifting the meat to their mouth with the fork in the hand that is not normally used. This method saves the switching of hands each time you want to cut the meat like the Americans do.
For eating soup, you should use the larger oval or bowl-shaped spoon. Make sure the soup bowl is firmly placed on the table. Scoop from the center of the bowl. Bring the spoon to your mouth and tilt it while sipping soup from the edge. You should not make a slurping noise when eating soup.
3. Don’t call attention to yourself on the table
So many people ask if it is Ok to eat chicken or pork chops with your hands. This could be acceptable in informal gatherings, but for a formal dinner, you should always use your fork. Also, don’t use your utensils to gesture.
When drinking water, tea, wine or other beverage, put down your utensils before picking up the glass or cup. After each using each utensil, place it on the edge of your plate, not in the lineup.
If you, however, make a mistake, most people won’t know as long as you don’t call it to their attention.