Savoir Vivre for beginners (2024)

Lifestyle

Nowadays the rules of savoir vivre are not so restrict as it was in the times of our grandparents, but still there are some which we should know and follow during an important business lunch or a formal dining. We hope after reading the article you will not have any doubts how to use cutlery or eat unusual meals.

1. When you sit down, don’t move yourself too close to a table. Your chest should not touch it. When you eat with your right hand, keep your left hand on the edge of a table. Never put elbows on a table and try not to move head towards a plate. Put a serviette on your knees. After finishing a meal, you can place it on the left side of a plate.
2. Remember the way of putting cutlery after meal is a certain information for a waiter. A knife and fork which are crossed on a plate means that we have not yet finished eating – you want to make a break for drinking or talking. Cutlery pointing five o’clock is the sign that we are not going to eat anymore. Be careful not to put dirty cutlery on a table or on the edge of a plate.
3. Don’t scoop food with a knife.
4. Never cut bread or rolls, just break it on a plate.
5. If there is a dishful in front of you, use cutlery that was given to a dish. Under no circ*mstances don’t take your knife and fork.
6. Rice, groats, vegetables and cut meat should be eaten with a fork held in the right hand. Always hold cutlery at the top, never at the base.
7. When eating soup, don’t put the whole spoon to your mouth. Remember that slurping is unacceptable. When some soup is left on a plate, don’t try to tilt a plate and get the rest of soup.
8. Fish which is not served in the form of a fillet should be eaten with special fish cutlery –a fish fork and a blunt fish knife which is used for scooping food, not for cutting.
9. Don’t try to portion all vegetables and meat at once, but rather cut a small piece just before consuming. Put only small pieces of food into your mouth. Stop talking for a moment – it is not appropriate to speak while eating. Remember that blowing on hot soup is not welcome on a formal dining. Wait until it cools off, and eat it slowly.
10. Don’t put large portions of food on a plate – it does not look appetizing, and it is really hard to eat it in an elegant way. Take smaller amounts of meat, vegetables or sauce. Don’t leave the rests of food on a plate because – it is claimed to be rude.
11. It is recommended to spear or cut food decidedly. Stabbing food is inappropriate and may be a sign of our disapproval for meals, which is also unacceptable. If the dish does not taste you, try not to comment it too much. According to good manners, if you don’t like the served food, you should try eating even a little of it. In addition, if there is something unappetizing on your plate, remember to discretely move it aside from a plate.
12. When you are thirsty during eating, wipe the sides of your mouth with a serviette – it will prevent from leaving some dirty marks on a glass or cup.
13. If for some reasons you do not know how to start consuming a certain dish, take a look or asks other guests – you don’t have to be ashamed, and it's definitely a better solution than the clumsy attempts to eat unfamiliar dishes.

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