How can good table manners improve the eating experience for you and your family? Well, everyone has had the experience of eating at a table that lacked good etiquette. Some did not eat at all, while others left the room in shame. Don’t let this happen to you.
The following are basic table manners for every meal. Share them with your children and explain why they’re so important. Practice them with your family as a group:
Eat on small plates and small forks. While eating, no one needs to touch anything that belongs to you. Leave the plate on the table and only pick up the fork when you need to eat a little bit. Table manners for dinner parties include serving every guest with a plate and then picking up the fork.
Use good table manners when cutting food. You should keep in mind that when cutting anything that it should be done with respect. Don’t put your plate down and then start chopping. It’s rude to do this. Wait for the person to finish using their cutlery before putting it down again. Never cut the vegetables before asking for second help.
When a meal is being served, sit with your elbows instead of your back. This helps your balance and also keeps you from having back or shoulder pain. Always put your elbows on the table and not on the chair. Everyone eats on chairs but if you sit with your elbows on the table and your back on the chair, you’ll end up with bad posture which makes it impossible to eat a good meal.
Some people think it is rude to eat with your hands but good table manners would tell you that it is a much better way to eat. If you are a person who doesn’t like to use knives, have someone else bring a knife and dip the foods in butter or some other sauce. You don’t need to use your knife while eating your meal. Simply place the fork on top of the knife and eat your food without knives.
Clean hands are very important as well. If you have kids, teach them good table etiquette when it comes to cleaning up their plate. For younger kids, have them hold the plates and then you can throw the plate into a pile by your feet or have them hold it by their ear. Older kids need more instruction about how to clean up after eating. With the kids are doing it, you can focus on eating and not on the clean up.
If you have a napkin in your lap, don’t eat with it on your lap. If you don’t have a napkin, put your lap on your chair instead of your table to eat with. Teaching good table manners doesn’t have to be hard because you have many ways to teach the kids how to act and sit at a table.
When you eat out, bring your own utensils. Don’t ask for the person’s utensils as part of the gift. Use your own utensils and don’t eat all of the food the person sends you. If you have extra money, buy extra utensils, such as napkins, paper plates and silverware. These will be good table manners when you go home and serve those foods to the family.
Keep your elbows away from your plate. This is a no-no in many restaurants and dining establishments. Table manners call for using both your elbows and your hand to take the food from the table and putting it back on the dinner table. A great way to be more polite and yet keep your elbows away from your plate is to use a plastic bag. Another example of using a plastic bag is when you are picking up your plate after the meal.
Do not eat with dirty hands. This is another one of the no-nos in good table manners. Table etiquette demands that you never eat with dirty hands. If you must eat with dirty hands, wash them immediately after the meal and dry them before putting them into your food bin. If you must eat with dirty hands, use utensils made from stainless steel or other non-porous materials.
When you eat out at a restaurant, always eat from your plate and eat quickly. It is rude to take a piece of food from your plate and eat it. This is a common mistake in restaurants and at gatherings. If you must eat quickly, eat from your plate and place the plate on a clean, neat table. Use a napkin to wipe your plate and keep your napkin folded up so you can easily find it.