Table of Contents

DATES

FLOWERS

CLOTHES

GROOMING

FOOD AND DRINK

MISC

FOOD AND 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.

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)

1. Keep in mind that a bartender relies on tips to supplement his or her income.
2. Have small bills available for the purpose of tipping.
3. Tip about 15 percent of the tab from the bar. If you only buy one drink, tip $1.
4. 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)

1. Speak Firmly: Keep voice low and speak in short sentences. Tell your date that you are going to do the Heimlich.
2. Tell your date to stand up and stay put.
3. Hug your date from behind: Put your arms around your date and make one hand into a fist.
4. 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.
5. Place your other hand, palm open over your fist.
6. Tell your date to bend forward slightly: If your date does not respond, push on the upper back and repeat "Lean forward"
7. 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.
8. 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)
9. 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)

1. 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
2. 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.
3. Lead your date out into the air: Oxygen is a major factor in reducing drunkenness.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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)

1. 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.
2. 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
3. Take vitamins: a good multivitamin or vitamin B complex combats vitamin depletion.
4. 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.
5. 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)

1. Try to enjoy the process, and accept that there are risks. Homerun leaders are frequently also strikeout leaders.
2. Avoid the wolf pack. Don't travel with a group of predators and expect to meet a nice person looking for a quiet time.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. If there's a surefire pickup line in the world, the inventor is keeping it secret. Try "Hello." Look for a wedding ring.
6. Introduce yourself. If you don't get a response, you should probably forget it.
7. Offer to buy a drink. If the person agrees, you have the basis for a conversation about drink choices.
8. 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)

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Employ the obvious backup position, if necessary: Offer to buy your target a drink.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.