MAINTAINING FEW BASIC TABLE MANNERS.

MAINTAINING FEW BASIC

TABLE MANNERS:

There is no getting away from the need for good table manners.Knowing how to act at a dinner table is going to make your job of being a guest or gracious host a lot easier.

Make Good Use of Your Napkin:Unfold your napkin in one smooth motion without "snapping" or "shaking" it open.Wipe your fingers as necessary.Also use a small area of the napkin to blot your lips fairly often. 

Posture:Hunching your shoulders over the plate,a posture often associated with using a fork like a shovel,is a definite "do not".Slouching back in your chair which makes it look as if you're not interested in the meal is regarded as a bad table manner when eating with others.

Excusing Yourself:When you need to get up to go to the toilet,it isn't necessary to say where you're going;a simple "Excuse me,please;I'll be right back"is sufficient. 

Seasoning Food:When at a dinner party or restaurant,proper table manners dictate that you taste your food before seasoning it.Hastily covering a dish with salt or drowning it in ketchup implies that you think the cook's creation needs improving on. 

Chewing Food:Once you start to eat,take a manageable bite,chew it well,and shallow it before taking another.When you have a mouthful of food,it is bad table manner to do two more things:taking a drink and talking.

Unfamiliar Food:If a food you're not sure how to eat comes on your plate,a type of sushi,or crab in the shell,you,as a polite dinner,have three choices to proceed:
1.Wait until someone else start to eat and follow suit.
2.Ask how the food should be eaten.(fingers or fork,)
3.Avoid the food.