I’m not done

I’m not done!

I received an email a few weeks ago from a reader who wanted to vent and thought this blog would be a good place to express his frustration. I was happy to receive his email and upon reading his email, I could not agree more with his annoyance.

He was frustrated that when he goes out to dinner his plate is cleared while other people at the table are still eating. That in fact it is quite rude to clear a plate while others are still eating.  It makes for an awkward eating environment, forcing people to think they either ate to fast, or ate too slow, and should be rushed. My other personnel frustration is when a plate is taken away from you and you haven’t finished eating!  I thought, I would write about it more for food for thought and then look at how to let people know you are in fact finished. Also different cultures have different ways of letting you know when they are done.  Please let me know of any other specific cultural tradition and if you have a frustration like this to vent. I would love to hear.

I know there are many times, I take a break while I am eating. Please see the illustration below showing how your fork and knife should be place to indicate that you are not done yet. Knife and fork are criss-crossed at 8 and 4 if your plate is a clock face.

Okay now I am done. Knife should be placed turned inward and the fork is resting next to it. Using the analogy of the plate being the face of a clock, knife and fork are resting at 5 in the direction of 11. In British culture the fork is face up.

Most importantly plates should not be cleared until everyone has finished.

Asian Cultures

When eating food served in bowl with a lid, replace the lid on the bowl when you have finished.

When you have finished your meal, place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest when provided as they were when you started. If there is no rest make one with the chopstick wrapper.

Illustration Credit: Ask and about Clothes

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Table Setting

When I was a child, I use to enter the County Fair. One of the categories I would enter in was Table Setting. I remember practicing my table at home and my mother telling me that I had my forks and knives backwards. I proceeded to be the precocious little girl I was sometimes and told her it was my vision and this is how I liked. Needless to say, the judges did not agree with me.

Table Setting can be fun and can tie everything together. This is also something that can be done in advance.

With the Holiday Season upon us here are a few helpful Reminders

Left
Forks on the Left and in order of use- farthest left first to use
Napkins on the Left and Left of the Fork or can be in the center where the plate will go.
Butter Plate- is on the top left of the plate with the butter knife across the top of the plate blade towards the user and handle on right. (Remember the trick B & D)

Right
Knives on the Right in order of use- farthest right first to use
Spoons are to the right of knives the right right of the knives.
Glasses – above the knives

Above the Plate
Dessert Spoon and Fork can be placed above the Plate. The Spoon facing left and the Fork facing right.
Place Cards – are either on the napkin if it is in the center or above the place plate.

Posted by Patty in Etiquette, Tips, Terms & Tools. 1 Comment »

Hostess Gift- Flowers Taking the Extra Step

Spring time is here or should I say the calendar indicates that it’s Spring! One thing I love about Spring is flowers; ever since I was a little girl flowers have always been my favorite thing. They just make me happy. Flowers are one of the most common hostess gifts given and for a good reason. The price points range, enabling anyone to purchase, and above all else, who does not like to receive them? But how about taking it one step further?

My mother’s favorite hostess gifts to both give and receive are flowers. But she says the nicest thing is to receive them a day before or morning of an event. This way everyone can enjoy them and if she is having a dinner party, she won’t be arranging the flowers while getting the roast out of the oven. My sister’s fiancé did this on his first trip out West to visit my parents- I heard about the orchid for the next week and how thoughtful and wonderful he is. (The extra effort went a very long way)

Sure there is always 1-800 Flowers, but there are many other routes to go- find a hotel you might like, based on aesthetics, in the area and see who they use or recommend. Also you can call/ visit the website of Bbrooks Fine Flowers which has a partnership with all the leading florists in the nation. This way you can locate the best in the area. Hopefully, this is just helpful information since there are always occassions when flowers are the perfect gift.

Posted by Patty in Etiquette, Ideas, Tips, Terms & Tools. 3 Comments »