How to Use Dinner Table Place Settings

You're at a formal dinner, or you want to host a formal dinner, and are unsure of the uses for the myriad of forks, spoons, plates and goblets. What do you do? Dining environments are more casual than in decades past, but occasionally you find yourself in a more formal environment. You are expected to present yourself in a refined manner, and you can prove your refinement by using, or setting, the tableware properly. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Silverware

1

Place the napkin in your lap. Use it to wipe your mouth whenever you feel the need, but when not in use, it should remain on your lap during the entire meal. The napkin may be placed to the left of the forks, on the dinner plate, or directly above the dinner plate and formed into a fanciful shape.

2

Use the soup spoon to eat your soup. It is the large spoon on the far right of the silverwear on the right side of the setting. Skim the top of the soup in a motion that starts closest to you, and goes across the top of the soup to the middle of the bowl. Sip the soup from the spoon; don't put the entire spoon into your mouth.

3

Use the salad fork to eat your salad. It is the small fork on the far left of the silverwear on the left of the setting. Salad is usually the second course. When you are done, leave the fork on the salad plate.

4

Use your butter knife to remove a pat of butter from the butter dish and put that pat on your bread dish. Your butter knife should be sitting on your bread plate, which is above the silverwear on the left. Break off one bite of bread, and then butter that one piece with a small piece of the butter. Leave the butter knife sitting across the top of the bread plate.

5

Use the largest fork that should now be the furthest left of the plate for your main course. Leave this fork sitting on your plate when you are done.

6

Use the dinner knife that is sitting immediately to the right of your plate for cutting up your food, or for moving food onto your fork. Cut one piece of food, and put that piece into your mouth. When not in use, place the knife on your plate, toward the top, as you did with the butter knife. Leave it on the dinner plate when you are done with the main entree.

7

Use the dessert fork to eat your dessert. This is located to the immediate left of the dinner plate, which has now been removed. When you are done, place it on the dessert plate.

8

Use the teaspoon that is found between the soup spoon and knife to the right of the plate to stir coffee, tea or other hot beverage that is usually served after dinner. Leave it sitting in the saucer of the coffee cup, at the top, when it is not in use.

Glasses

9

Drink water from the water goblet, which is placed on the right side of the place setting, above the dinner knife. It is the largest goblet.

10

Drink red wine from the next largest glass which is placed to the right of the water goblet.

11

Drink white wine from the smallest glass which is placed to the right of the red wine glass.