When it comes to bad table manners, it’s either you don’t know how to maintain your table manners or you’re simply embarrassed by the fact that you don’t know how. Either way, it is an important issue. First and foremost, table manners can make or break a successful meal. Because of this, table manners are always an excellent indicator of a person’s upbringing, their overall social awareness, and general manners around others. However, often the real reason someone may be worried about your table manners is not because they want to exclude you from the group, but rather because the food makes you uncomfortable.
Whether you’re at a public restaurant, a party, or simply at your home, you should always take the time to study your table manners before you go eating. The last thing you want to do is consume the food with bad table manners and make your experience as unpleasant as possible. In order to avoid this from happening, here are a few things to keep in mind regarding proper etiquette when eating your meal.
Don’t be a cheap eater. This goes hand in hand with being polite. If you see someone struggling with a piece of food on their plate, or if you notice crumbs on their plate, chances are they aren’t paying much attention to etiquette and aren’t eating in a respectful way. Remember, that’s no reason to act like an untrained child while eating. By choosing to eat your meal properly, it will show your meal guests that you are a gracious guest and that you pay attention to what you’re eating.
While eating, never reach toward your food with your elbows. Reach with both of your hands and use your elbows to hold things. This will show respect for your table manners and prevent the food from spilling all over your clothing.
If you have nothing to eat, don’t eat with your fork and spoon. Even in restaurants, it’s not acceptable to eat with only your fork and spoon. This shows poor dining etiquette and can get you in some serious trouble. You’ll also have less of an appetite. If you need to eat, use your plate to serve your food. This will show good table manners as well as give you room to eat everything that you’d like while being respectful of your table.
There are certain things you should never do when it comes to eating, whether you’re at a restaurant or at home. Eating with your plate still attached is considered impolite. It is rude to chew your food while eating. Some people do this because they don’t know how to properly chew their food without the food falling out. This is considered highly inappropriate and can cause you to be kicked out of a restaurant or in some other way treated severely if you continue to chew with your plate still in your hand.
Do not use your elbows to chew your food. The waiter may come by to take your order, but don’t let him take your order without reaching down and removing your hand from your face with both of your elbows extended. This is considered extremely rude and will earn you a very big frown from the waitress if you do it. You might think that your elbows are clean but if you reach down with both of them out to chew, the last thing you’ll see is a clean white hand with two black fingers. This is a sure-fire way to get your order wrong.
Don’t cut your food into neat slices with your knife or a fork. When you have finished eating, turn the plate in the opposite direction to hold the knife blade upright and remove the knife from the plate. Use your utensils to separate the pieces of food very carefully into uniform sized pieces. If you want to look good and cut things into very neat sections, use your fork and knives to do it for you.