It’s hard to believe, but
Thanksgiving – one of my favorite holidays – is right around the corner. With Thanksgiving, comes the ushering in of
the official holiday season which is sure to be filled with a plethora of both social
and professional events. As we enter into this time of cheer, I thought I’d take
a moment to revisit some key components to formal dining as it can be somewhat
intimidating (particularly when several courses are served). Fear the pheasant no more as I have compiled a
list of formal dining tips to help solve culinary-related dilemmas.
-Always
take cues from your host. Your host will serve as your guide throughout the
meal. It is a general rule of thumb that you should wait to start your meal
until the host has invited you to do so, either verbally or by picking up the
first course silver. You don’t want to start eating before then as the host may
plan to say grace or give a toast. Normally, the host will wait until all of the
guests are seated and have received their food before he or she begins. You should also follow the host’s direction
for the timing of the various courses, as well as for the meal’s conclusion.
-Certain Silverware Has Certain Roles. If you observe how the table
is set for a formal meal you will notice that there are usually two or three of
everything depending on the courses forthcoming. This is where a lot of folks start to panic. The simplest way to navigate this conundrum is
to remember that utensils are placed in the order of the course with the first
course farthest from the plate. So your
salad fork will be to the left of your dinner fork. For spoons, look at the
size of the head on the spoon first. The larger and wider the head means that
that it is your soup spoon and the smaller and narrower spoon will be your
teaspoon.
-The
Dreaded Bread Plate. I can’t tell you how many times someone has put their
bread on my bread plate after the bread basket has been passed. Many times further confusion commences when
someone else at the table has correctly placed their bread. To assure you are not the cause of a bread
upheaval, remember that your bread plate is always to the left of your table
setting and place it accordingly.
-Is
That My Drink? When seated at a formal table, knowing which drink is yours
can give pause, especially when the person next to you is also uncertain. I always find the following saying helpful,
“In order to drink right you must drink from the right”. With that being said, all
of your glasses should be organized from widest to narrowest to the right of
your place setting. Your water glass should be your widest glass and closest to
you, followed by your wine glass (or glasses if both red and white wine will be
served), and finally your champagne glass.
Don’t let the formalities of formal dining take away from
the enjoyment of your meal. If your host
is serving a formal meal, it means that much time and effort has been spent to
make the occasion a special one. Just keep
these simple rules in your mind and you will dine with ease and delight!
Photo Courtesy of: noahherrera
