Summary of Table Manners 101: Basic Dining Etiquette

Table Manners 101: Basic Dining Etiquette

The video "Table Manners 101: Basic Dining Etiquette" by Kyle from The Distilled Man offers practical advice on proper dining etiquette to help avoid embarrassment and show respect during meals. Key tips and guidelines include:

• Before Sitting Down:
  • Silence and put away your phone.
  • Wait for everyone to be seated before you sit.
  • Take cues from the host or hostess.
• Napkin Use:
  • Place your napkin on your lap upon sitting.
  • Use it to blot your mouth as needed.
  • Never tuck it into your shirt.
• Body Language:
  • Maintain upright posture.
  • Keep elbows off the table while eating.
  • Elbows can rest on the table between courses or during conversation after the meal.
  • Keep your free hand on your lap while eating.
• Understanding the Place Setting:
  • Identify your bread plate (left) and water glass (right) using the "b" (bread) and "d" (drink) mnemonic.
  • Don’t worry about multiple glasses; servers or sommeliers will usually handle refills.
  • Use utensils from the outside in, starting with those farthest from your plate.
  • Forks are generally on the left; knives and spoons on the right.
  • Utensils above the plate are for dessert.
  • Flat plate dishes use forks; bowl dishes use spoons.
  • Seafood forks may also be present.
• Starting the Meal:
  • Wait until everyone is served before eating.
  • Two acceptable ways to hold utensils:
    • American Style: Hold fork like a pencil in dominant hand, switch to cut, then switch back to eat.
    • Continental Style: Fork stays in non-dominant hand, knife in dominant hand, no switching.
  • Keep your other hand on your lap when not using utensils.
  • Avoid reaching across the table; ask politely for items to be passed.
  • When passing salt, always pass pepper as well, and vice versa.
• Finger Foods:
  • It’s acceptable to eat certain foods with fingers (e.g., corn on the cob, chicken wings, ribs, pizza, tacos).
  • Use judgment—if the food looks messy, try to use utensils.
• Chewing and Talking:
  • Never talk with your mouth full.

Notable Mentions

• Kyle from The Distilled Man is the speaker.
• Reference to etiquette expert Emily Post’s view on utensil use.
• Tips shared by Kyle’s friend Dave for place setting orientation.

This summary covers essential dining etiquette rules to help maintain good manners and social grace during meals.

Notable Quotes

— 00:36 — « You know, when you're slurping and chomping and burping and splattering... »

— 01:10 — « So you're just about to sit down at the table, that a great time for you to silence your phone and put it away. You don't want to be that guy whose phone is going off during a nice dinner. »

— 04:36 — « With the American Style, you hold the fork with the dominant hand, kind of like a pencil. And then when it comes to cut something, you switch hands and that's why this is sometimes called the zigzag style, also. »

— 05:24 — « And remember don't reach across the table, if something is close enough to you that you can grab it and you're not reaching over another diner, you can feel free to reach out and get it. But otherwise you're going to have to ask someone else to pass it to you. »

— 06:02 — « You have to use your judgement, if it does look like it's going to be really messy maybe try to use a fork if you can. »

Category

Lifestyle

Video