If you’re going to a fancy dinner soon, there are some etiquette rules you’ll want to know. No one wants to embarrass themselves in the middle of eating. We see it happening in movies all the time, and it’s not something to look forward to!
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you all table manners with spoon and fork. Let’s start by holding your cutlery while eating.
How to Hold Your Cutlery While Eating
With table manners, the tiniest details matter, even the way you hold your cutlery. Take a look at how you should hold your spoon, fork, and knife while eating.
Spoon
When holding your spoon for eating, you should bend your fingers and keep your thumb upright. Then, rest the spoon on your bent index finger while applying pressure on it using your thumb. That way, it’ll be stuck delicately between your two fingers.
If you’re eating soup, scoop the spoon outwards before sipping it. It’s said that dipping it inwards will cause you to eat too fast, which goes against table etiquette. Additionally, you should sip from the spoon rather than swallowing all its contents at once.
Fork
When it comes to holding a fork, you should hold it in your left hand, between your thumb and the rest of your fingers. Bear in mind that it should be facing your table, not the other way around. Besides, you should keep in mind not to hold it in a stabbing position.
We know some meat is just too tough not to stab, but table manners come first!
Knife
A knife should be held in the right hand. It naturally takes the spoon’s place. You should place it between your thumb and the rest of your fingers, except the forefinger. You should extend it to support the knife from above.
Like the fork, a knife should always face the place, not the sky. And, needless to say, you shouldn’t put it in your mouth.
How to Set Your Spoons and Forks on the Table
If you’re the one hosting the dinner, you should aim at perfection. Perfection comes by the tiniest details, including the setting of your cutlery on your table.
There’s a simple rule that dictates how you should place the spoons, forks, and knife beside the plates. It’s called the outside-in rule, which means the person eating should use the cutlery on the outside first.
Somehow, this makes you responsible for the placement; because it depends on the food’s serving. If you’re serving salad first, the person eating will use the fork first. Therefore, you should place it on the outside.
The spoons and knives go on the right, while the forks should be on the left. They should all be away from the plate by about 1.5 inches.
As for the other items, the water glass goes on the right above the knife. Meanwhile, the bread plate goes to the far left.
How to Eat Using Spoon and Fork
Eating is a pretty basic skill. We all know how to do it, right?
The question is: are we doing it correctly? Probably not. Here, we’ll tell you the right etiquette for eating with spoons and forks.
Spoon
Generally, you should use a spoon only when eating soup. The right way to do it is by keeping the spoon sideways at the bowl’s edge that’s away from you. Then, skim it away from you before scooping the soup.
When it’s time to eat, only sip from the spoon’s side. No matter how tempted you feel, don’t swallow it all at once. On top of that, don’t make any slurping sound.
When eating soup, there’s always some liquid that stays in the bowl, and it’s hard to get using the spoon. Regularly, you can hold the bowl and just pour it down your mouth. However, if you want to follow the correct table manners, you should tip the bowl away from you and scoop using the spoon.
Fork
You’ll likely use the fork when eating rice or any small foods. Although all people just stab at the food, that’s not the right way to do it. You should pick the food up as if you’re scooping it.
We know a fork isn’t the easiest tool to use when eating rice, but that’s the correct way to do it. You can use the help of a knife if you face too much trouble. That’s how the Europeans always do it.
How to Place Your Spoon and Fork on the Plate
The way it is with table manners, every move should be calculated. So, when you want to take a break from eating, you shouldn’t just throw your spoon and fork to the side. There’s a certain way you should put them.
Here are the rules for placing your spoon and fork on the plate during eating.
Pausing
When you take a break during eating, either for taking a sip of water or speaking with someone, you have two options to set your cutlery.
Firstly, you can place your spoon and fork in an inverted V shape, near the plate’s center. That way, their tips should point toward each other. The same goes if you’re using a fork and a knife. This is the continental style.
As for the American style, You can rest your knife or spoon on the plate’s top right. It should be placed diagonally, while your fork should be placed below facing upwards.
End of Course
When you’re finished with the current course, you should place your spoon and fork parallel with each other. They should be in the 4th clock position.
Alternatively, you can place them in a cross shape. The fork should then be facing upward, while the other cutlery should face the left.
Appreciation
If you want to show appreciation to the hosts, you should place your spoon and fork in a parallel position to each other. They should both be placed horizontally facing the right side of the plate.
Dislike
If you want to show that you didn’t like the food, you should place the knife and fork in the same way you would if you’re taking a break. However, you should place the knife’s tip between the fork’s teeth. This position ought to send the message.
Finished
If you don’t want to send any messages with your spoon and fork, you can simply place them in a vertical position in the plate’ center.
When Not to Use Cutlery
Although most foods will need you to use cutlery, there’s one single food that doesn’t.
When eating bread, it’d be awkward trying to cut it using a knife and a fork. The right thing to do then is to use your fingers. This is one of the rare instances where it’s okay to use your fingers to cut something.
If you intend to butter the bread, a butter knife should be provided for that. Then, eat the bread using your fingers.
Tips for Using Your Spoon and Fork
Here are some additional tips for using your spoon and fork while eating.
- Use your spoon and fork gently to avoid being noisy.
- Don’t use your finger to put food onto the spoon or the fork. Only use the available utensil.
- Don’t drop your food from your spoon or fork while eating.
- Don’t dip your food into a sauce that’s in communal dishes. Use your spoon to scoop some into your plate.
- Don’t use your spoon and fork to gesture when you’re talking with someone.
- After you use your utensils, don’t place them on the table. Only put them on the plate.
Other Table Manners You’ll Want to Follow
Table manners don’t end at spoons and forks. There are a couple of other things you’ll want to pay attention to.
Napkin Placing
Once you sit, you should place your napkin on your lap. When you want to get up, you should leave it on the left of your plate. However, bear in mind that you should leave it unfolded. Folded napkins give the impression that they can be reused.
Passing Food
If you want to get something that’s out of reach, avoid stretching across people. It may result in an unpleasant situation. What you should do is ask your neighbor to pass it. Alternatively, you can ask them if they’re going to have it. They should then get the hint.
The latter is the most courteous way to do it.
Chewing
The first rule of chewing is to do it silently. Secondly, you should keep your mouth closed. That’s why it’s advised against talking while eating.
As for the chewing speed, you should match the pace at which everyone is eating. You don’t want to bolt through your food, but you also don’t want to keep chewing for so long.
Final Thoughts
Table manners may seem overwhelming at first. However, they’re pretty easy to follow, as long as you always keep them in your mind.
Just remember to keep subtle and avoid grabbing attention. No one focuses on much when they’re eating anyway!