Mind Your Table Manners!
And give the right impression at that next lunch meeting.
By Fong Mue Chern
Read the Table Setting
The simple rule: Start from the outside. On your left, the furthest fork from the plate is for the appetiser while the bread knife is furthest from the right. Sometimes, it is already placed on the bread plate, which is the little plate on the left.
The largest knife and fork are always for the main course while the small dessert fork is on the inside, or if it's a dessert spoon and fork, they're usually of a smaller size and placed horizontally on the top of the plate.
Many restaurnts also use same-sized forks for both the salad and main course. Just start with the one on the outside.
NAPKINS
Place the napkin on your lap after everyone at the table has been seated or follow the lead of your host. Open it below the table - not in "mid-air" - and place on your lap. If you need to leave the table between courses, place our napkin on your chair or to the left of your plate. After the meal, place it to the right of your plate. Never place it on the plate.
SOUP
If soup is served, spoon away from you, bring around to your mouth and back to the bowl. Soup is taken from the side of the spoon - never insert the entire spoon into your mouth (and don't slurp). As you reach the end, tip the bowl away from you and spoon up from the opposite end of the bowl.
BREAD
Break rolls and bread slices into smaller, more manageable pieces and butter only one bite-sized piece at a time. Toast and garlic bread may be eaten as whole pieces since they are usually already buttered.
Business Lunch FAQs
Business lunches are often tricky, etiquette consultant and author, Raelene Tan, answers some of the other questions that "eat" at you.
Q What should I order during a lunch or dinner meeting?
Order food that is easy to handle, so you can concentrate on the more important matters at hand. Eg Prawns that require shelling, corn-on-the-cob, sticky ribs etc would be better enjoyed in a casual setting.
Also, mid-range dishes - and not the most expensive items - should be chosen from the menu, unless of course you urged by the host to try something more expensive.
Q The food's served, can I eat?
In a business setting, the host or most senior person should bid everyone to commence eating with "Please start" or "Bon appetit".
Q Is it polite to eat when someone else is talking?
When someone is talking directly at you, it's polite to stop and listen attentively, but during a general presentation, and where time is important, it is fine to continue eating - quietly!
Q The lunch is running late, but I have to leave. When is a good time?
If you need to leave at a specific time, this should be made known to the host upon accepting the invitation so as to allow proper planning and not cause unnecessary disruption at the table. Otherwise, you should stay till the end.
Exerpts from Western Etiquette - A Matter of Course by Raelene Tan published by Landmarl Books
Extracted from Simply Her / February 2005
By Fong Mue Chern
Read the Table Setting
The simple rule: Start from the outside. On your left, the furthest fork from the plate is for the appetiser while the bread knife is furthest from the right. Sometimes, it is already placed on the bread plate, which is the little plate on the left.
The largest knife and fork are always for the main course while the small dessert fork is on the inside, or if it's a dessert spoon and fork, they're usually of a smaller size and placed horizontally on the top of the plate.
Many restaurnts also use same-sized forks for both the salad and main course. Just start with the one on the outside.
NAPKINS
Place the napkin on your lap after everyone at the table has been seated or follow the lead of your host. Open it below the table - not in "mid-air" - and place on your lap. If you need to leave the table between courses, place our napkin on your chair or to the left of your plate. After the meal, place it to the right of your plate. Never place it on the plate.
SOUP
If soup is served, spoon away from you, bring around to your mouth and back to the bowl. Soup is taken from the side of the spoon - never insert the entire spoon into your mouth (and don't slurp). As you reach the end, tip the bowl away from you and spoon up from the opposite end of the bowl.
BREAD
Break rolls and bread slices into smaller, more manageable pieces and butter only one bite-sized piece at a time. Toast and garlic bread may be eaten as whole pieces since they are usually already buttered.
Business Lunch FAQs
Business lunches are often tricky, etiquette consultant and author, Raelene Tan, answers some of the other questions that "eat" at you.
Q What should I order during a lunch or dinner meeting?
Order food that is easy to handle, so you can concentrate on the more important matters at hand. Eg Prawns that require shelling, corn-on-the-cob, sticky ribs etc would be better enjoyed in a casual setting.
Also, mid-range dishes - and not the most expensive items - should be chosen from the menu, unless of course you urged by the host to try something more expensive.
Q The food's served, can I eat?
In a business setting, the host or most senior person should bid everyone to commence eating with "Please start" or "Bon appetit".
Q Is it polite to eat when someone else is talking?
When someone is talking directly at you, it's polite to stop and listen attentively, but during a general presentation, and where time is important, it is fine to continue eating - quietly!
Q The lunch is running late, but I have to leave. When is a good time?
If you need to leave at a specific time, this should be made known to the host upon accepting the invitation so as to allow proper planning and not cause unnecessary disruption at the table. Otherwise, you should stay till the end.
Exerpts from Western Etiquette - A Matter of Course by Raelene Tan published by Landmarl Books
Extracted from Simply Her / February 2005
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