Table Manners Rule # 99
Rule:If chip and dip are served, do not “double dip” - that is, don’t dip a chip in the bowl, eat from it, and then dip the half-eaten chip in the bowl again. Reason:For sanitary reasons. Application:Break a large chip in two or choose a chip small enough to dip and put into your mouth all at one time (without stuffing, of course). Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 98
Rule:Always pass the salt and pepper together. Reason:Think of them as a married pair. Application:An interesting story about the salt and pepper involves Mr. J.C. Penney who founded the chain of department stores with his name. It is said that he would not hire anyone who salted or peppered his food before tasting it. He said it meant such people were impulsive and not good employee material. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 97
Rule:Don’t put more food on your fork or spoon than you can eat at one time. Reason:You will have to stuff your mouth too full and that is unpleasant for others to see. Application:Fork only small portions of meat and vegetables at a time and you won’t have to stuff your mouth. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 96
Rule:Don’t mix up food on your plate unless it is meant to be mixed. Reason:Such a mess can be very unappetizing to other diners. Application:Gravy and mashed potatoes go together. Onions and applesauce do not. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 95
Rule:If you spill a little something on the tablecloth while you are eating, scoop it up with your spoon or knife and place it on the edge of your plate. Reason:You do not want to make a scene, but you also do not want others to have to look at the objectionable tidbit. Application:If you have a major mishap, apologize to the hostess and offer to help clean it up. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 94
Rule:There is a proper way for a gentleman to seat a lady. Reason:It is a long established tradition that members of society have chosen to retain. Application:The gentleman pulls the chair back and the lady steps to the front of the chair with the back of her knees touching the front edge of the chair. Then she lowers herself straight into the chair (without projecting her derriere). She places her hands on the sides of the chair and helps the gentleman move the chair forward under the table. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 93
Rule:Butter one half or one bite of bread at a time. Reason:If you open your mouth wide enough to take a big chomp out of a dinner roll, you will likely expose your tonsils to the people eating with you and no one wants to see them. Application:With your fingers, pinch a bite off the roll, butter that piece, and eat it.
If you have a biscuit or a bagel, you may separate the top from the bottom and eat from each of them. Cornbread may be eaten whole because it will crumble if you try to divide it. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 92
Rule:Do not use your cloth napkin to remove something from your mouth. Reason:If you put the offensive morsel in your napkin and later lift you napkin while forgetting about the “thing,” you may watch it fall on the table or the floor. Application:Take something out of your mouth with the utensil you used to put it in, such as taking a seed out of your mouth with your spoon. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 91
Rule:Don’t shovel your food and don’t bend down to meet your plate as you eat. Reason:It is repulsive to other eaters. Application:Hold your spoon and your fork as you hold a pencil for writing. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 90
Rule:If you cannot eat something, whatever your reason, move the food around a little with your fork or spoon. Don’t sit with your arms folded with a “yuk” look on your face. Reason:With a “yuk” look on your face, arms crossed over your chest, and a stiff posture, you will cause your fellow diners to wonder if something is wrong with their food. Application:Perhaps, the only time you can be a hypocrite is when eating. If you pretend to eat something served, others at the table may not even realize you are not eating. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 89
Rule:Never say bad things or “yuk” about the food, no matter how much you dislike it. Reason:You should consider the feelings of others who are at the table. Application:Keep your opinions to yourself; eat what you can; sit quietly while others finish. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 88
Rule:Never leave a spoon protruding up from a bowl or a glass. Reason:Safety. If you leave a spoon sticking up in a bowl of soup and you reach for your water, you might bump the spoon and send it hurtling across the table. A spoon in a glass could poke you in the eye. Application:When you are not eating with the soup spoon, you should place it on the plate beneath it. A spoon sticking up from a glass should be removed and propped on the rim of a plate. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 87
Rule:Never use your own piece of silverware to take something from a common dish of food. Reason:Doing so does not look pleasant to others who may want to take something from the same platter. Application:Use the serving piece in the dish. If there is none, ask the hostess if you may have one. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 86
Rule:It is no longer the rule that you must eat every last morsel on your plate. Nor is it necessary to leave a little of everything on your plate. Reason:Those two rules have been “old wives’ tales” and were never enforced. Application:If you like the food, you may eat all of it as long as you don’t scrape your plate clean. If you feel satisfied before every last piece is eaten, you may leave a little. (This is not a parenting rule. Parents make their own rules about what their children eat.) Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 85
Rule:Never take the last piece of food from a dish or platter. Reason:It is selfish to reach for the last of anything, depriving others of the food. Application:If you are a guest, simply say nothing, but if you are with family or close friends you may say, “Would someone like to share this last piece of pizza?”
(Often the hostess will ask if someone wants the last piece. If you accept, you should still offer to share it.) Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 84
Rule:If you sit down to a meal and discover you are missing a piece of silverware that everyone else has, you should ask for it. Reason:You are not expected to eat your soup with a fork. Application:Simply say, “I seem to be missing my steak knife.” Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 83
Rule:If you drop a piece of your silverware in someone’s home, do not pick it up. Reason:It is likely unclean. No one wants it back on the table. Application:Simply ask the hostess if you may have another. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 82
Rule:If you drop a piece of silverware on the floor in a restaurant, do not pick it up. Reason:Once an object is dropped from the table, it is considered unclean. Application:Simply ask the waiter to please bring you another fork or spoon or knife. If the dropped fork is in the walkway where someone might trip over it, move the fork out of the way with your foot. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 81
Rule:If and when you find some foreign, unwanted objects in your food, don’t announce it to your tablemates. Reason:You will spoil their appetite. Application:In a restaurant, quietly ask a waiter to bring you another serving of the contaminated food. In someone’s home, simply sit and say nothing or ask the hostess if you might have another dish to replace the one you cannot eat. Don’t talk about the problem. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 80
Rule:Do not blow on your food to cool it unless you are at home with family. Reason:It appears juvenile. Application:Wait until the food cools. Dip from the surface of soup and it won’t be as hot as it is farther down in the bowl. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 79
Rule:Do not lean back in a chair, resting on the two back legs. Reason:You might fall or you break the legs off the chair or both. Application:Keep all four legs of the chair on the floor. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 78
Rule:Do not place items, such as purses, briefcases, or hats, on a restaurant table top. Reason:Nothing but food and drink should be on a surface from which you will be eating. Application:Put personal items on a vacant chair or in your lap, if possible. If you put things on the floor someone might stumble over them. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 77
Rule:Do not talk about diets, politics, road kill, or any other disgusting or argumentative subject. Reason:Some of your tablemates may have a weak stomach even if you do not. Application:It is all right to mention what political party you support, but it is never appropriate to discuss party differences. You will do better not to mention any political matter. You may talk about your religious faith if you can do so without offending someone with a different faith from you. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 76
Rule:Never dip your fingers or napkin in the water glass to wipe off a splash or a speck of food. Reason:Rightly so or not, it makes others at the table feel that their water is no longer clean. Application:If you have an accident, excuse yourself to the bathroom where you can dab water on the stain. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
Table Manners Rule # 75
Rule:Do not talk about foods you dislike or those to which you are allergic. Reason:Visualizing food that someone detests can ruin a good appetite. Application:Even if hearing others talk about food they are allergic to or dislike does not bother you, refrain from talking that way yourself, for the sake of others. Copyright 2003, June Hines Moore Click here for a biblical approach and resources on manners.
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