Table setting according to etiquette is an important detail of any meal. As a rule, this is an indicator of the hostess or host’s respect for himself and his guests. But many people don’t know how to set the table correctly. After all, there are a lot of details on which you need to especially focus your attention.
Table setting according to etiquette - photos, rules, beautiful napkins
When you are planning to invite guests to have dinner or lunch, and you want to impress them and do everything beautifully, then the question of proper serving may take you by surprise. There are some rules to follow.
General rules for table setting
To create a beautiful table setting, you need to follow several principles of this process:
- Cutlery should be placed in the same order as the food is served. Surely you know that each dish has its own cutlery. For example, salad or fish is eaten with a fork, while soup is made with a spoon. And if you serve soup first and then fish, then cutlery should be placed in the same order (spoon, fork).
- Cutlery must be crystal clean. It is unlikely that guests will like it if they eat with a stained fork. And the owner will not be pleased at all. Therefore, before serving, wash and wipe the cutlery well to avoid incidents.
- Avoid excesses. You cannot place unnecessary cutlery on the tablecloth; their number when serving should correspond to the number of dishes.
- Follow the identity. Everyone needs to arrange the appliances the same way. It is advisable to choose dishes in one color.
- The arrangement of cutlery should correspond to its purpose. So, the devices located on the right are in the right hand while eating, and the devices located on the left side are in the left.
Tablecloth on the table
The optimal and winning option is a white tablecloth. So she looks festive. But you can lay a tablecloth of a different color (brighter or darker), you shouldn’t be afraid of this. It is better to choose a tablecloth that matches the main shade of the appliances and objects on the tabletop. In addition to the cutlery, the tablecloth should be in harmony with the curtains and upholstery. This is the only way everything will look harmonious.
Now there are a large number of forms and materials. But, as a rule, they choose the most standard shape - rectangular. And if it is also made of natural materials and in light shades, then comfort in the kitchen is guaranteed.
Cutlery - layout diagram
You can’t put all the cutlery you have on the table. It looks messy and is not convenient to use, since the necessary devices will be lost. You need to put what you really need in accordance with your dishes.
To properly arrange cutlery, you need to know some rules:
- We place the fork on the left side of the plate, because the guest will need to hold it with his left hand. And the knife is to the right of the plate.
- When placing glasses, you need to hold them by the stem.
- You should start using cutlery from the outer edge, changing them towards the plate as new dishes are served.
- There is no need to place cutlery close to the plate. There should be a space of 1 cm between the plate and fork.
Proper table setting
Serving plates
Just like knives and forks, plates need to be placed in the correct sequence. So, the snack plate is located opposite each seat, 2 cm from the edge of the table. The bread plate is located to the left of the snack bar, 5-10 cm from it. In cases where more than one dish is served, then a dining plate should be placed under the appetizer plate. The housewife must remember her responsibilities: promptly replace dirty plates with clean ones.
Serving with napkins
Napkins are an integral part of table setting. And the one who knows how to fold them beautifully is a real creator, because folding napkins beautifully is a real art.
If the napkins are made from natural materials, then they are placed on the laps of people eating. And if you prefer paper napkins, then they should be placed on the right under the edge of the plate, or placed in general accessibility.
The color is not particularly important, the main thing is to fold the napkins beautifully.
Spice utensils
Spices must include pepper and salt. But everyone has their own taste, so it is advisable to add mustard and other spices to this list to please each of the guests.
Spice utensils are served in the center. They need to be placed on a special stand, board or saucer.
Serving glasses, glasses, wine glasses
The glasses are placed behind the plates in descending order, that is, from largest to smallest. The glasses are on the right side and the glasses are on the left. Each glass or glass is designed for a specific drink. So, wine glasses are used for wine, and glasses for water or juice.
Cutlery signs
Proper use of devices provides the guest with presentability and status in the eyes of others. But at the same time, it is not always convenient to talk about shortcomings or dissatisfaction with services, staff, food, due to personal preferences and modesty. Sometimes the reason is a large number of people around and good audibility, then you can minimize the publicity of your message by placing the fork and knife in a certain position.
This is a widespread practice and self-respecting establishments train waiters to quickly respond to such messages.
Sometimes a guest is surprised that his dishes were quickly taken away, although he did not finish eating. Often he unknowingly laid out the cutlery in such a way that the staff interpreted it as a request to remove the dish, that he didn’t like it, etc.
By placing cutlery on your plate in one way or another, you are giving various signs to the waiter, which competent staff can catch and take into account.
Designation of a fork with a knife on a plate
Do not forget that the responsibilities of the service personnel include monitoring the position of the devices on the dishes. And the crossed fork and knife in the middle of the plate, forming a right angle, will tell them that the guest wants to immediately proceed to the next stage of the meal.
Then the dish will be quickly removed and another order item will be taken out.
You can leave the following messages:
- I liked it. Both objects are close and parallel in the middle.
- Delightfully delicious. A little obliquely, the fork is under the knife.
- Didn't like it. Crosswise, the blade is inserted into the teeth.
- The plate should stand, there is no need to remove it. The devices are nearby, the handles are on the table or hanging slightly.
- Normal, but the service was not satisfactory. Crossed instruments, turned one hundred and eighty degrees.
- Requires entry into the complaint book. Objects on the dish are located parallel at a distance, but are turned upside down with their handles.
Sometimes verbal confirmation of your intentions is appropriate.
How to serve breakfast correctly
Serving breakfast is considered to be an easy task. Therefore, it is feasible for everyone, you just have to follow the list of items that should be located on the breakfast table:
- Bread plate;
- Snack plate;
- Cup and saucer.
These are the most banal items that simply must be on the table at almost any time during the meal.
The appetizer plates are placed first, then the cups and saucers. A teaspoon is placed on them, or it can also be placed parallel to the plate with the handle to the right. We place the knife on the right side, the fork on the left with the teeth up. Then we put spices and napkins according to the rules stated above.
What is used and how
cutlery is generally always placed on the right side
Most often, difficulties arise when serving and further using cutlery. In this case, a simple hint comes to the rescue. Cutlery is taken from the edge to the center and from right to left. That is, you should start your meal with cutlery that is furthest from the plate. If in doubt, you should first take the device located on the right side.
How to serve lunch and dinner correctly
When setting the table for dinner, it is important that guests can quickly serve themselves. A snack bar is placed on a tripod plate, a bread plate is on the left, a knife and spoon are on the right, a fork is on the left, and a glass is in front.
Since this is lunch, you need to add a ladle to the serving to ladle the soup. And you need to put a separate device on the plate with the salad so that everyone can put it in for themselves.
Dinner is a delicate matter. You can arrange it not only for yourself and your family, but also invite guests. Then dinner will become a more formal event. In this case, you need to set the table according to all the rules so that everyone is comfortable. This way you will make a good impression on your guests.
To make your dinner exquisite and everything perfect, you need to follow simple rules:
- The tablecloth should be clean and ironed.
- Dishes must be in the same style and color. You need to wash it thoroughly to make it shine.
- Bottles of alcohol are placed open and poured into glasses during dinner. A cloth napkin should be placed next to them.
Table manners
By paying attention to the rules of behavior at the table, a person demonstrates his best side. This is a sign of good manners, concern not only for your well-being, but also for the pleasant eating of everyone sitting around. This is called etiquette, and previously only representatives of the upper class of society knew it; it was one of the striking differences between educated people and commoners. Today there is no clear division according to this criterion, but if a guest demonstrates ignorance of the rules of etiquette, he risks irritating others.
In a restaurant or at a dinner party, it can be difficult for the inexperienced person to figure out how to properly use all those countless cutlery.
You definitely need to know:
Everyone at any age should know the rules of table etiquette.
Important! The devices on the right are intended for use with the right hand, and similarly with the left side.
Dessert table setting
The dessert table is associated with a festive table, so you can choose a brighter tablecloth. It would be good if you select a special service for this event. In this case, it is better to place the napkins in the center. The dessert table should be filled with the following equipment:
- Cups, saucers, teaspoons;
- Kettle with brewed tea (small);
- Large kettle with boiling water;
- Sugar bowl;
- A bowl with jam, condensed milk;
- A plate for sweets should be placed in front of each person;
- Drinks are poured when everyone is seated;
- Sweets can be served completely different, it can be buns, sweets, cake and others.
Festive table setting
Although the dessert table is associated with a festive table, they are still different from each other.
A napkin is placed on the plate, on which the hot plate is placed. The bread plate is located at the snack bar level on the left side. When dishes are replaced by one another, all plates can be moved with the exception of the diner, its position remains unchanged.
To the right of the diner there is a soup spoon, two knives (snack and table), and forks, as always, are placed on the left.
The arrangement of cutlery follows the principle that the cutlery furthest from the plate corresponds to the dish that is served first.
Gestures with cutlery
In some places, gestures can mean different things, but there is a generally accepted tendency for "wordless" communication between the waiter and the customer. This is especially useful during a business or important meeting in a restaurant, when important things are discussed, then you don’t want to interrupt the thought by exchanging remarks with the staff.
Simple gestures with the language of cutlery.
This would seem disrespectful and too carefree, as if the subject of the conversation does not really care about the interlocutor. Such conclusions are fraught with damaged relationships and all the ensuing consequences.
Decor
Setting the table correctly is good, but if this process lacks a touch of creativity and creativity, then it looks a bit boring. After all, setting a table, and even more so a festive or dessert table, is an occasion to show your creativity and experiment with decor from the heart.
Most often, flowers are used as decoration, standing in a vase in the center of the table. They refresh the appearance of the table well and add a touch of lightness and tenderness. But even in such a seemingly win-win decor option, you can find flaws and you need to take into account all the smallest details.
So, you can put flowers on the table if:
- Those present do not have an allergic reaction to flowers;
- The composition does not contain flowers with a strong aroma (this, at a minimum, can kill your appetite or cause disgust);
- The vase should be placed at a distance from the cutlery.
But flowers are not the only way to decorate; for example, candles will decorate a romantic dinner, and figures of wedding rings or a figurine of newlyweds will look good at a wedding feast.
If you are throwing a party for children, then you should be especially creative with the decor. You can attach balloons with images of cartoon characters to the chairs. The only thing is that you need to take into account the size of the ball and hang them at the optimal level (so that they do not interfere with comfortable interaction). The main thing is that the decor and serving are in harmony with each other and do not look pretentious.
