Etiquette Question

[welsummerchicks]

You're right. I was only think of when you leave the table at the end of the meal.

 

[theghostandmrchicken]

Place your napkin on your lap before the meal is served.
When you get up to leave take your napkin and neatly semi-fold it into a very basic rectangle or sqaure and set it on the left side of your plate.

 

[Spookwriter]

To each their own?

We are seated.
We order.
Drinks come.
Food is served.
Say grace.
Place napkin in lap.
Eat.

And correct that your food is not cut through the tines of the fork.
And I only cut one piece at a time, not the whole meat at once.

Before anyone complains, yes we say grace before every meal.

It bothers me worse by the loud people around us who cannot keep
their voices quiet, than where you put your napkin.

 

[redhen]

Whats a napkin?

 

[desertdarlene]

According the Emily Post's Etiquette 15th edition, pages 106-107, you ordinarily put your napkin on your lap when you are seated. At a formal dinner, you wait for your hostess to put hers on her lap first. When you are finished with the meal, you put your napkin on the left side of your place (or center if plates are removed). It should not be refolded nor should it be crumpled up, just laid on the table neatly in loose folds, not spread out.. At a formal party, the hostess will indicate that the meal is over by putting her napkin on the table. Guests should not put their napkins on the table before she does.

Other napkin etiquitte: Never tuck a napkin into a shirt, belt or shirt buttons. Also, never wipe your mouth with a napkin, but blot or pat instead.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Another word for sleeve.

Imp-

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

Quote:
If you have to leave the table to use the restroom, you place the napkin in your chair.

correct! I actually did "etiquette" and deportment (books on head and all) class in high school. also correct , when dining at someone's house is to wait for the hostess to place hers first (of course not many hostesses even know that nowadays)

As for kids table manners yikes! it seems to be getting worse and worse.
When my son was 3, after many lessons on eating with his mouth closed, we were eating at a denny's style place once...he wouldnt stay seated no matter what we said...so he was standing in the booth and suddenly calls out in a loud voice "Mummy! That man isn't eating with his closed mouth!"

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Another word for sleeve.

Imp-

 

[SourRoses]

I like to place it in my lap as expediently as is polite... to protect my nice clothing from the condensation of my beverage, and anything else that might end up there

.
I tried saying once, "If you will excuse me, while I adjourn to the powder room?" and the people at the table only gave me blank stares.

Ewe.... How old is your daughter? I would teach her to only use her fingertips on the fork, until she understands how to use it with delicacy.
If it was a tough meat like steak or pork, my mom would always politely lean over and cut off a handful of bites at a time.. when I was little I would almost cry if my dinner was giving me too much trouble..

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
*chokes on her tea*

I've been biting my tongue. I was taught etiquette, diction, proper manners, (back when I did pageants and a little modeling as a kid)and chose to leave it. Well some of it. Some table manners (chewing with your mouth closed, not elbowing your table partners, not smacking, slurping) are fine, but the rest are hold overs from the extremes of manners used by the wealthy, that reached it's height in the Victorian era, to basically show how much time they had to spend hours at the dinner table. (very very simplified history of the type of table manners we are talking about) and it is still too ritualized for me. Much of it IMO is way too unnecessary and overly exaggerated.

In some cultures smacking and burping is how one shows that the food is tasty and appreciated. That would be tough for me to follow.