21 Proper Etiquette When Dining

Observing proper etiquette when dining helps make the foodie’s experience more fulfilling, not only for you but for others. This article enumerates 21 of these things that you need to know to avoid embarrassing yourself. Check these tips out. – Ed.

Predominantly human beings linked by a common interests—go for great food, great company of people and spiritual aspect. The warm attachment for food, family and friends, the delightful or zestful flavors from pastries to meals, would vehemently pop up from time to time.

People love to occasionally eat out either for lunch or dinner at a party at a family friend’s house or in a fancy restaurant of their liking, with friends and family. Simply relishing to pay for a salutary, wholesome ambiance, a well-rounded food and an excellent customer service. Basically, a family would sometimes heartily eat out on special occasions like a daughter/son’s piano recital, recognition day at school, mother’s day or dad’s say, anniversary, dad’s promotion and a lot more.

Other times, a family would candidly without embellishment want to have a strong inclination and a good mood for finding amusement for both the kids and adult alike, have fun and unwind in their fave restaurant that serve delightful meals. Couples would somehow love to occasionally go out on a date for a lunch out or coffee break.

Working with colleagues would likewise love to eat out or travel to destress from working 24/7. This releases either physical or mental tension and can chill out to attain a balance in acquiring good equilibrium following an abrupt work stress.

Hence, a quick dash at your fancy restaurant is impeccably under a typical standard of relaxation. Whatever your rational ground and relaxation are, always customarily carry out and remember the proper etiquette when going out and dining in restaurants. Follow the labelled, “Do’s and Don’ts”.

21 Proper Etiquette When Dining

Here are the ways of learning the twenty (21) proper etiquette when dining in restaurants:

1. Have clean hands. Wash your hands properly with a clean soap and soap in the washroom area. Or you could use a spray of a rubbing green cross alcohol.
2. Drink your liquids properly. Water, juice, coffee. Refrain oneself from indulging in drinking water, juice and or coffee soundly or with a sounding slurp. Rather, imbibe your drink or take liquid gently and wipe your mouth after.
3. Be discreet with your mobile phones. When you reach your destination and appear at the restaurant, avoid sitting there while talking on the phone for 5 mins or more. Lower the volume and then discreetly place it inside your purse or handbag.
4. Prioritize the seniors. When the food is set on your table, invariably serve the senior citizen first and followed by the ladies.
5. Eat at the same time. Patiently wait until everyone else had been served on your table before eating.
6. Avoid making faces. Avoid to move the mouth, especially to make faces at business meetings dinner.
7. Sit properly. Refrain from putting your feet on the dining chairs. Rest and sit properly in an acceptable, suitable way with both feet on the ground.
8. Get a moderate amount of pasta. When eating pasta spaghetti or alfresco, under not in any circumstance would you dare to scoop just as many, comprising a large amount of pasta using your fork. Preferably, just lightly twist or twirl around a little of your pasta while twisting your fork. Feed unto not on a wider mouth.
9. Eat seafoods properly. Never ingest and chew an oyster, clam or shrimp using solely a fork with an exclusion of anything else. As an alternative, you may gently employ to use both your hands with a fork in the left hand, and the steak knife on the other right hand.
10. Don’t produce unpleasant sound. Wine. Not in any degree do you need to noisily clink that gives out a slight sharp sound upon pouring a red wine. Don’t noisily collide your red wine bottle with the wineglass. Hold your wine glass at an angle or just tilt it to have and maintain in the grasp, moving with a slight force or impact gently pour the red wine.To support in a particular position or to keep it from falling. Hold it steady.
11. Use table napkins properly. Open your table napkin and gently place it in your lap. If the need arises, softly wipe the sides of your lips with a closed mouth.
12. Avoid tooth picking in the open. Avoid putting a toothpick in your mouth right away after eating your meal. Improvise by discreetly and quickly covering your mouth with a table napkin first while using the toothpick.
13. Don’t speak when your mouth is full. Always execute chewing with your mouth fully closed. Avoid the tendency to excessively talk while your mouth is still full.
14. Engage in conversations and do it politely. Get involved and take part in the dinner conversations. Have attentive ears. Softhearted exchange of observations, sentiments, opinion, ideas, etc.
15. Don’t play with your food. Do one’s best not to play with your food and place it in a space in the air with your fork. Instead, move it in a specified direction directly on your mouth straightaway.
16. Be courteous. Be at all times courteous, marked by polished manners and a gallantry consideration for others. Always say the magic words, “Please” and “Thank You” whenever you order food and if you need anything else on your table.
17. Don’t pick a fight with servers. Never pick a fight or a hostile encounter or verbal argument with the food servers etc whenever you’re not fully content and or satisfied with what has been experienced or received with their customer service and attract the other dining people around. Rather, be calm, patient and understanding, to seek politely for any clarification and talk calmly in an appropriate kind manner.
18. Be mindful of senior citizens. When your queue is immediately adjacent or next, and an old woman or an old man or a senior citizen is situated to the rear of you or behind you, be tenderhearted enough to offer for her to use the CR comfort room first. And then you can use it after.
19. Do make-up in the washroom. Never retouch make-up on the dining table to produce a more desirable appearance. Rather, excuse yourself and do it in the washroom area or lady’s room.
20. Gargle discreetly. Never gargle water to immediately cleanse and disinfect your oral cavity on the dining table. Instead, graciously excuse yourself and do it properly in the washroom area or even in the lady’s room.
21. Use mouthwash in private. Constantly bring with you wherever you go, a handy dandy, teeny weeny mouthwash. Do it in the washroom area.

Additional Tips

1. Firmly shake hands after the business meeting over a cup of coffee or a dinner.
2. Say thank you to the host of the party or to the restaurant when you leave.

Helpful Biblical Verses Related to Proper Etiquette

1. Colossians 4: 5-6 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
2. 1Corinthians 13: 5 Does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered.
3. 1Peter 3: 8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.
4. Ephesians 4: 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

References

Clayton, N. (2016). A Butler’s Guide to Table Manners. Batsford.

Lévi-Strauss, C. (1990). The Origin of Table Manners: Mythologiques, Volume 3 (Vol. 3). University of Chicago Press.

Oncini, F. (2020). Cuisine, health and table manners: Food boundaries and forms of distinction among primary school children. Sociology, 54(3), 626-642.

Schneider, S. R. (2018. Table Manners – Ultimate Guide To Dining Etiquette. (2018). Retrieved 1 April 2022, from https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/table-etiquette-guide-informal-dining-manners/

[cite]