Continental

(for right-handed diners)

Continental Style. Hold the fork like a pencil in your right hand, with the shank extended between your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Your ring and little fingers rest in your hand. For leverage, the index finger is extended along the back of the fork, as far from the tines as possible. Hold the knife with it handle cupped in the palm of your left hand, along with your middle, ring, and little fingers. Place your index finger on the back of the blade. Hold your thumb against the side of the handle.

American Style. Hold the fork in your left hand, tines downward. Hold the knife in your right hand an inch or two above the plate. Extend your index finger along the top of the blade. Use your fork to spear and lift food to your mouth. If your knife is not needed, it remains on the table.

Soup spoon etiquette

A soup spoon has an oval or round bowl to accommodate soup. An oval bowl makes it easy to eat pieces of food from soup using the tip. The bowl of around soupspoon has a curved edge, which allows clear or pureed soup to be sipped from the side.

Fish knife and fork etiquette

A fish knife is used to separate the soft flesh of the fish from the body, rather than to cut a bite. The tip of the blade is used to fillet fish, lift the skeleton from the body, and ferret out small bones. Table manners require that the fish fork is held in the left hand and used in the traditional way.

Dessert fork and spoon etiquette

Using two utensils for dessert makes it easier to manipulate. Informal dining, two utensils are used for the appetizer course, the main course, the salad course, the dessert course, and the fruit course.

Teaspoon etiquette

Proper table manners require that a soiled utensil not is laid on the table after use. Thus, in drinking an iced beverage, the teaspoons held in the glass against the rim with the index finger (where it remains until the glass is removed from the table).

Chopsticks

Due to cultural differences, there is no single rule for handling chopsticks. The correct method in Japan might not be appropriate etiquette in Korea or China. With that said, we present the general etiquette for chopsticks.

Universal chopstick etiquette:

• Do not use chopsticks to make noise, draw attention, or gesture.
• Do not use chopsticks to move plates or bowls around.
• Generally, do not use chopsticks to impale food.
• Do not leave chopsticks standing vertically in a bowl of rice or other food.