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Food and Drink
Place Setting Etiquette
General Dining Etiquette
How to Tip a Bartender
How to Save Your Date from Choking
What to Do if Your Date Becomes Drunk
Alcohol Safety
How to Prevent a Hangover
How to Buy Someone a Drink
How to Get Someone to Buy You a Drink
Place Setting Etiquette (http://www.findalink.net/diningetiquette.php)
Bread on the Left, Drink on the Right
Which drink is yours? This is one of the first decisions at the
dinner table because oftentimes, napkins are in the glass when you
arrive at the table. Here is an easy tip to help you remember. Hold
both hands in front of you, palms facing each other. Using the tips
of your thumb and forefinger, make circles on each hand. The
remaining three fingers in each hand point upwards. Your left hand
will form a "b" and your right hand will form a "d". Bread (b) is on
the left, and drink (d) is on the right. Thank you Martha Stewart
for that tip. If your neighbor has already taken your bread plate or
drink, quietly ask the waiter for another.
Napkins
Napkins belong in your lap. Large napkins can be folded in half or
with a quarter folded over the top. They should never be tucked into
your shirt like a bib. In a banquet setting or at a restaurant,
simply place your napkin in your lap as soon as you are seated. If
you excuse yourself from the table, loosely fold the napkin and
place it to the left or right of your plate. Do not hang it over the
back of your chair. Do not refold your napkin or wad it up on the
table either. Note: Some respected etiquette experts will disagree
and flatly state that when leaving the table, you should hang the
napkin over the back of your chair. Whatever you do, do not place
the napkin in the seat of your chair. You don't want to wipe your
mouth with a napkin that has been left on the seat.
Silverware
The general rule for silverware is to
work from the outside in as the meal progresses.
- Dinner plate - The center of the place setting. When finished eating,
do not push the plate away from you. Instead, place both your fork and
knife across the center of the plate, handles to the right. . Between
bites, your fork and knife are placed on the plate, handles to the right,
not touching the table.
- Soup bowl - May be placed on the dinner plate. If you need to set
your soup spoon down, place it in the bowl. Do not put it on the dish
under the bowl until finished.
- Bread plate - Belongs just above the tip of the fork. Bread should
be broken into bite -sized pieces, not cut. Butter only the piece you
are preparing to eat. When butter is served, put some on your bread
plate and use as needed.
- Napkin - Placed to the left of the fork with the fold on the left.
Sometimes placed under the forks or on the plate.
- Salad fork - If a salad fork is used, it belongs to the left of the
dinner fork.
- Dinner fork - Placed to the left of the plate. No more than three
forks to the left of the plate. If there are three forks, they are usually
salad, fish, and meat, in order of use, from outside in. An oyster fork
always goes to the right of the soup spoon.
- Butter knife - Place horizontally on bread plate.
- Dessert spoon - Above the plate.
- Cake fork - Above the plate.
- Dinner knife - To the right of the plate. Sometimes there are multiple
knives, perhaps for meat, fish, and salad, in order of use from outside
in.
- Tea spoon - To the right of the dinner knife.
- Soup spoon - If needed, to the right of the tea spoon.
- Water glass - Just above the tip of the knife.
- Red wine glass - To the right of the water glass. - A glass of red
wine is held on its stem to preserve the chill.
- White wine glass - To the right of the red wine glass.
- Coffee cup and saucer not pictured - If needed, bring at time of
coffee service.
When You Have Finished Eating (http://www.bsu.edu/students/careers/students/interviewing/dining/)
Do not push your plate away from you when you have finished eating.
Leave your plate where it is in the place setting. The common way to
show that you have finished your meal is to lay your fork and knife
diagonally across your plate. Place your knife and fork side by
side, with the sharp side of the knife blade facing inward and the
fork, tines down, to the left of the knife. The knife and fork
should be placed as if they are pointing to the numbers 10 and 4 on
a clock face. Make sure they are placed in such a way that they do
not slide off the plate as it is being removed. Once you have used a
piece of silverware, never place it back on the table. Do not leave
a used spoon in a cup, either; place it on the saucer. You can leave
a soupspoon in a soup plate. Any unused silverware is simply left on
the table.
General dining etiquette (http://www.findalink.net/diningetiquette.php)
- Food is served from the left.
- Start eating hot food when it is served,
do not wait for everyone else to begin.
- For soup, dip the spoon into the soup,
from the edge of the bowl to the center, moving away from you.
Only fill it 3/4 full to avoid spilling. Sip, not slurp, from
the edge of the spoon. Do not insert the whole bowl of the spoon
into your mouth.
- It is proper to tip a soup bowl slightly
to get all of the soup.
- Never turn the glass upside down to
decline wine. It is more polite to let the wine be poured and
not draw attention to yourself. If you are asked about wine and
will not be drinking, quietly decline.
- Do not ask for a doggy bag unless it is
an informal dining situation.
- Do not smoke at the table.
- Do not ask to taste someone else's food.
Similarly, do not offer a taste of your food to someone else.
- Taste your food before seasoning it.
- Do not talk with your mouth full.
- Cut only enough food for the next
mouthful.
- Chew with your mouth closed.
- If soup is too hot to eat, let it cool in
bowl. Do not blow on it.
- Practice good posture. If not eating,
place your hand in your lap or rest your wrists on the edge of
the table. Do not put your elbows on the table.
- If hot food is burning your mouth,
discretely drink something cool to counteract the food.
- When dining out, order foods that can be
eaten with utensils.
How to Tip
a Bartender (from ehow.com)
- Keep in mind that a bartender relies on
tips to supplement his or her income.
- Have small bills available for the
purpose of tipping.
- Tip about 15 percent of the tab from the
bar. If you only buy one drink, tip $1.
- Remember that tipping is not mandatory,
but a stingy tip could affect the service you receive later in
the evening or during a subsequent visit.
How
to Save Your Date from Choking (from Worst Case Scenario
Survival Handbook)
- Speak Firmly: Keep voice low and speak in
short sentences. Tell your date that you are going to do the
Heimlich.
- Tell your date to stand up and stay put.
- Hug your date from behind: Put your arms
around your date and make one hand into a fist.
- Place your fist into your date's solar
plexus. The solar plexus is the first soft spot in the center of
the body, between the navel and the ribs.
- Place your other hand, palm open over
your fist.
- Tell your date to bend forward slightly:
If your date does not respond, push on the upper back and repeat
"Lean forward"
- Pull your fist inward and up. Use force
and a quick motion. This will push out the residual lung gas
under pressure, clearing any obstructions from the trachea.
- If choking persists, repeat steps 3 to 7
several times. After several unsuccessful attempts, ask your
date to lean over a chair from the back, placing his or her
hands on the seat for support (the top of the chair should be
level with the date's hips)
- Strike your date between the shoulder
blades with the heel of your hand. The blow generates gaseous
pressure in a blocked airway and, with a head-down position, it
sometimes works with the Heimlich does not.
- If the choking is noiseless, or if your
date is clasping his or her throat, then the air passage is
completely blocked and you must act quickly.
- If your date is just coughing, just smile
politely and sympathetically and offer some water when the
choking is over. The water does nothing for the choking, but
allows them to regain their composure and dignity.
What if
your date becomes drunk (from Worst Case Scenario Survival
Handbook)
- Avoid confrontation: you realize your
date is drunk, but your date may not agree or believe it. Keep
the conversation light and happy, but don't let your date have
any more to drink. Suggest a change of plans, like dancing or
taking a walk outside
- Keep your date standing: Support your
date as needed. Put your arm around your date's waist, putting
the arm over your shoulder. If you cannot hold your date
upright, keep him or her seated and call a taxi.
- Lead your date out into the air: Oxygen
is a major factor in reducing drunkenness.
- If your date is so drunk that he or she
is unable to walk or speak intelligibly, encourage your date to
expel the alcohol via vomiting. Make sure your date rehydrates
after purging.
- If your date falls to the floor and
passes out, roll your date onto his or her side to prevent him
or her from choking on his or her own vomit.
- Watch for signs of alcohol poisoning:
tremors, unresponsiveness, unconsciousness, lack of breathing.
If you suspect alcohol poisoning, have someone call 911. Do not
leave your date alone.
Alcohol Safety: How to Sober Up /Avoid a hangover (from
Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook)
- Avoid pills: do not take ibuprofen,
acetaminophen, or aspiring just before, during or after
drinking. Acetaminophen may cause liver damage. Ibuprofen can
cause severe irritation. Aspirin thins the blood, which may
exacerbate a hangover.
- Drink lots of fluids: dehydration from
alcohol can be treated with water, sweet juices, or sports
drinks. Orange juice and tomato juice contain potassium, which
will help overcome the shaky feeling of a major hangover
- Take vitamins: a good multivitamin or
vitamin B complex combats vitamin depletion.
- Eat: starchy foods- bread, crackers,
rice, or pasta - break down into sugar, which speeds absorption
of alcohol into your system. A spoonful of honey (which is high
in fructose) helps to quickly burn off any remaining alcohol in
the stomach. Listen to your body's cravings: if eggs sound good,
eat them. If something spicy sounds better, eat that. There are
no right or wrong things to eat; just take your food slowly and
in small amounts.
- Rest or sleep for as long as possible.
- Coffee and cold showers are not really
effective
How to prevent a Hangover (from Worst Case Scenario
Survival Handbook)
- Eat before you drink and snack while
drinking
- If you do not eat, coat your stomach with
a full glass of milk
- Pace yourself and drink water between
drinks.
- Drink clear liquors. Some spirits are
higher in congeners (impurities) than others; red wine, brandies
(including cognac), and whiskies usually have more than other
types of alcohol. Generally, the clearer your spirit, the few
impurities, and the less severe the hangover
- Champagne and mixed drinks made with
carbonated sodas allow for faster alcohol absorption; they
should be sipped slowly.
- Do not mix your liquors. Each spirit has
different toxins that must be processed by your liver. It's best
not to overload it.
- Before going to bed, have a snack of a
banana or cheese and crackers.
- Keep water beside your bed and drink it
if you awaken during the night.
How to Buy
Someone a Drink (from
ehow.com)
- Try to enjoy the process, and accept that
there are risks. Homerun leaders are frequently also strikeout
leaders.
- Avoid the wolf pack. Don't travel with a
group of predators and expect to meet a nice person looking for
a quiet time.
- Be yourself. Sounds simple but apparently
isn't. Most people are looking for a fun, intelligent,
easygoing, levelheaded sort. Women aren't as impressed by flashy
clothes, monster trucks, and sports victories as most men think.
- Take your time. Don't rush up to your
target, but don't wait around for hours either. If you've just
arrived, have a seat and relax for a few minutes. Check to see
if the person does, in fact, need a drink, or if he or she
already has one. If you get an encouraging look, head over.
- If there's a surefire pickup line in the
world, the inventor is keeping it secret. Try "Hello." Look for
a wedding ring.
- Introduce yourself. If you don't get a
response, you should probably forget it.
- Offer to buy a drink. If the person
agrees, you have the basis for a conversation about drink
choices.
- If your target is part of a group, be
sure to acknowledge the rest of the group and include them in
the conversation. If you don't, the group may close ranks and
cut you off.
- Overall Tips: Meeting a stranger is
always a long shot. Consider the billions of people in the
world, and then think of the few you actually enjoy being
around. From a statistical perspective, you could buy millions
of drinks before meeting someone you like. So forget statistics.
How to Get
Someone to Buy You a Drink (from
ehow.com)
- Experiment. Walk up to your target and
say, "How about buying me a drink?" You know you'll at least get
a reaction, so be ready with some light conversation.
- Don't be obnoxious. Your goal is not to
get free alcohol, but to meet someone. Even if he or she thinks
it's weird that you're asking for a drink, a show of personality
or humor should be enough to move things along.
- Employ the obvious backup position, if
necessary: Offer to buy your target a drink.
- Don't push too hard. Be lighthearted and
casual. Your target may decline now, but there's a chance you'll
bump into the person again in an hour or so.
- Don't try to isolate your target from his
or her friends. Be friendly to the whole group, and increase
your chances of appearing desirable.
- Plan an escape route. Some people think
that if they buy you a drink, they're buying rights to you for
the entire evening.
- Overall Tips: Don't worry about looking
like an idiot. Everyone looks like one sometimes. If you get a
nasty reaction from someone, it probably says more about his or
her attitude than your technique.
~ Provided by the Class of 2005
Senior Ball Committee ~
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