Manners And Etiquette
A Basic Guide Of Good Manners And Etiquette
Manners and etiquette are often traits that are largely overlooked these days. There was once a time when society required only the best actions from people, and one slip-up in proper etiquette could cost a person his/her entire reputation.
But, this isn’t the 19th century and, for the most part, the public’s eye isn’t nearly as hawkish as it used to be for calling people out on their manner blunders. Nevertheless, there may come a time when you find yourself in a position where the best manners and etiquette are not only appropriate, but necessary. That’s why we are going to go over some basic instructions so that you are well prepared to make it through a high-society moment without any awkwardness.
Basic Manners
Let’s start off with basic manners.
You should know by now that holding the door open for others is a must and “please” and “thank you” are words never to be forgotten. Most of us know this much, but what about knowing when to remove your hat (guys) or to which side of her escort should a woman sit at a formal dinner? There are countless little tidbits like these, but we’re just going to cover the ones you are most likely to run into.
First, a gentleman should always remove his hat before entering a church, restaurant, theater, or someone’s home. It is also polite to remove one’s hat and stand when a lady enters the room, but these actions are usually saved for very formal situations, or to show respect (such as meeting your girlfriend’s parents).
If you are invited to a dinner party, it is customary (not to mention thoughtful) to bring a gift for your host or hostess. A bottle of wine or flowers are appropriate.
A gentleman should seat his female escort in the chair on his right, being sure to pull out the chair for her.
In today’s modern society, holding the door is no longer a role for the man. The person who reaches the door first should hold it for those who follow.
Also, when attending dinner in a restaurant, it is polite for the person who extended the invitation to pay for the meal.
Table Manners
Pretty simple, right? The really gritty stuff you are least likely to run into but more likely to make a blunder on is table manners.
Most of us don’t have a problem breezing our way through a restaurant meal with the laid-back table manners and etiquette we use at home, such as chewing with your mouth closed and keeping elbows off the table. But there may come a time when real “polish” is necessary.
You need to be aware that American table manners do differ in some ways when compared to say, British or Japanese table manners. It really isn’t necessary to learn manners from every country unless you have business dealings with several different countries and often meet with representatives in a restaurant setting. We are going to cover the basic table manners that should be used in America.
First off, the napkin goes in your lap. Pull it out to dab away any mess on your face, then return it to your lap. A used napkin should never sit on the table.
You should always sit straight to avoid hunching over your food (hunching appears greedy and territorial).
When eating soup, the spoon should move away from you when scooping the liquid. Soup should also be sipped from the spoon. When the last bites of the soup have been reached, the bowl should be tilted away from the body and scoops again should move outward.
Food should be passed to the right and in a formal setting, you should not take something from the plate you are passing if someone else requested the food; wait until they have taken their portion and ask for it to be passed back to you.
If someone asks for you to pass the salt, it is polite to pass them both the salt and the pepper.
The left hand should remain under the table when it is not in use.
You should endeavor to wait at least five seconds before taking a second bite of food, and try to time your bites so that everyone can finish the meal around the same time.
Always compliment the host or hostess on the food and never say anything negative about the food.
Most of these rules about manners and etiquette are fairly simple to learn and recall when you should need them. Besides, even if you never use them, it’s always a good idea to have the knowledge on hand just in case!