Kitchen Essential

You may never set the table like this (you probably don’t have enough matching cutlery anyway) but should you happen to be invited to one of those really fancy restaurants where you are faced with a dazzling display of silverware and starched white linen as the maitre d’ pushes in your chair, at least you won’t make a fool of yourself when it comes to using said silverware to deliver delicate morsels to your mouth for mastication, swallowing and digestion and whatever follows that.

With formal 3-5 course meals, the dinner place-setting is used from the outside in. When you sit down at a formal table, the side plate on your left is yours. There will normally be a butter knife on top. You will use this knife to butter your bread or roll which you don’t cut, by the way, but break (gently, you’re not a caveman).

The rest of the cutlery is set in the order of the dishes that will be served. First soup, then fish followed by the main course and then salad (this is for very formal dinners). By the time dessert rolls around there will be no cutlery left except the dessert spoon and fork at the top of the place setting. Don’t panic if there’s no dessert cutlery; it will probably accompany the dish.

If you got confused and used your dessert fork to eat your shrimp cocktail and the waiter has removed the shrimp fork because it was unused, don’t panic! Get the attention of your waiter (DON’T snap your fingers) and quietly request another set. A really good waiter will notice the mistake and unobtrusively bring you another set without you having to ask — a generous tip would be in order. If you’re at a very fancy restaurant your waiter will remove any excess cutlery after taking your order. In other words, if you’ve ordered steak and won’t be eating fish that set of cutlery will be taken away. If you drop anything on the floor, please resist the urge to fish it out from under the table. An attentive waiter will bring you a clean one.

There will be at least three glasses to the right of your setting: one for water, one for white wine (smaller of the two) and one for red wine. A champagne flute may be added for occasions such as weddings. If the champagne is served before dinner, you can take your glass with you when you are seated.

How to use Chopsticks

Rest one chopstick on a relaxed hand towards the tip of your ring finger with the thicker end in the crook of your hand (between your thumb and forefinger). Keep it in place with your middle finger. Hold the other chopstick between your thumb and index finger (the one you point with). The bottom chopstick is now wedged between your middle finger, ring finger and lower part of your thumb. Now move the upper chopstick up and down using your index finger, while keeping the lower one still. Practice makes perfect.

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