Table setting: etiquette rules

Nowadays, you can hardly meet a family in which it would be customary to gather at a large table at a meal. The modern rhythm of life dictates its own rules, and now everything is somehow raiding: an almost absent breakfast, a stealth lunch, a dinner in front of a computer, and there is neither the energy nor the time to arrange a little holiday for yourself. And sometimes it’s worth it. And to catch a festive and solemn, and sometimes a dreamy mood, the correct table setting always helps.

But what is it and how to do everything right, according to the rules of etiquette? Everything is much simpler than it seems.

It seems that either innate aristocrats or third-generation luxury waiters can serve the table, and ordinary people are not able to comprehend the secrets of the ideal arrangement of devices and the subtleties of different-sized forks. This is a common misconception: to set a beautiful table is much easier than to cook a delicious dinner.

It is not enough just to set up a table, put a chair, spread it over the surface of a fork-spoon and remain satisfied with the created free composition.

Before you put the appliances on the table, you need to spread the tablecloth. According to the rules of etiquette, it should hang from the table exactly 20-30 centimeters. In short - ugly, the whole look and style of serving is lost, longer - prevents guests.Tablecloth color does not dictate the rules of etiquette, so you can choose it yourself, depending on the case: laconic snow-white tablecloths for a solemn feast can be appropriate, and colorful bright or muffled ones - for every day or according to mood. The main requirement is that the tablecloth should be perfectly ironed and absolutely clean, otherwise even a perfectly laid table will look messy.

Nuance: let only the necessary appliances be on the table. After all, if there is no trace of soup in the dinner, then the container for it will look inappropriate and absurd and will simply be superfluous. If guests do not try the fish, then appliances for it will only add headaches and bewilderment. Here, more is not better.

At first glance, everything is complicated here. A lot of dishes of different sizes that need to fit one on top of another are scary at first. However, everything is not so scary.

The number of cutlery is influenced by the theme of the event, the declared lunch program and the number of guests. Based on these circumstances and having firmly decided on each item, you can already combine the composition of dishes in front of each of the guests. Traditional serving rules suggest that one person should have more than one dish: a serving plate, which plays the role of additional protection for the tablecloth (however, it is not necessary to use it for everyday serving), a snack, dessert and soup plate (depending on the consistency of the soup is wide or bowl).

On the left side of the serving are dessert and salad dishes. There you can place plates for butter and bread. The distance from the edge of the table should be about one and a half to two centimeters.

Everything is very simple here. It is not necessary to install all the devices at once - some may not be useful. In a home environment, it is better to immediately agree with guests about who and what will drink in order to save themselves from unnecessary trouble.

A little further than all the plates, to the right of them we place the dishes for drinks. Here a lot depends on the tastes of the guests: someone will prefer red to white wine, someone will stop at champagne, and someone will choose what is stronger.

The main thing is not to confuse glasses for red and white wine, champagne glasses and all other glasses, glasses and piles. Not only the correct observance of the requirements depends on this, but also the guest’s pleasure: certain forms of glasses and material (glass or crystal) help to reveal all the most subtle notes of taste and smell.

At a gala reception, where the countless, at first glance, the number of cutlery is located to the right and to the left of the plate, it is scary to seem an ignoramus. It seems that all forks, spoons never figure it out. But here, too, everything is simple.

There is a golden rule, easy to remember: the farther the device is from the plate, the sooner it will be needed.

Sorting is simple: the knives are placed to the right of the plate, the forks are to the left, the soup spoon is next to the first knife (however, if dessert is declared on the menu, the spoon is placed a little higher than the serving plate). And on top you can put a teaspoon.

These rules govern the following set of cutlery: snack fork and knife; larger appliances for the first and second courses. A fork with three to four teeth and a knife in the shape of a shoulder blade is used for fish. Everything else in the set there is a set of devices for dessert: a spoon, a knife and a fork.

The rules for handling devices ends with one competent arrangement of them relative to the plate. They still need to be able to use and know how to eat this or that dish.

• Soup: if there are large ingredients (vegetables, meatballs, pasta), then they need to be broken in half with the side edge of the spoon. Cup broth can be drunk.
• Chicken: it is better to eat it at an official dinner with the help of appliances, with hands it is only possible in the family circle.
• Meat dishes: it is customary to eat them piece by piece, and with cutlets and schnitzels you can do without a knife.
• Side dishes, scrambled eggs, vegetable dishes, pastas do not require the use of a knife, but without it you should not touch sandwiches and pies.
• Snacks: caviar, pastes and mustard are spread on bread with a special small spoon.

Probably everyone heard something about the secret signs of cutlery. In chic establishments with a sophisticated audience, the waiter could often guess about the satisfaction with the dish not only by the visitor’s expression, but also by the position of the devices used on the plate or near it. These are some identification marks, non-verbal symbols, which, if there is no way to express their impression of a meal out loud, will do it for the guest.

Break:

• Pause: the tips of the fork and knife lie on the edges of the plate and are slightly deployed away from themselves, their handles are on the table. If a knife was not used in the use of the dish, the location of only one fork is permissible.
• Waiting for the second course: the knife and fork are located on the plate perpendicular to each other, intersecting in the center: the knife is horizontal, the fork is vertical.

End of meal and food review:

• I liked it: the instruments lie parallel to each other, with their tips in one direction.
• I didn’t like it: the knife crosses the fork at the teeth in the center of the plate crosswise.
• Finished: the devices are parallel (permissible - at different edges of the dish) from each other, directly or at an angle.

By the way, about the insoluble question of where to tilt a bowl of soup during a meal: the situation is not forbidden by etiquette when you leave a little lunch at the bottom.

These signs can be useful for lunch or dinner in a restaurant, banquet or other luxurious feast, which is attended by a large number of guests, waiters and other assistants, communication with which involves maintaining a distance.

Here, only fantasy sets limits. Depending on the theme and occasion of the feast, completely different decorations can come up: from light and solemn candles and strict snow-white napkins to rough compositions from natural branches of spruce and pine cones.

They can be different - paper, rag, color, variegated, immaculately snow-white. In the decoration of the table they occupy a dominant place.

Paper is one of the most appreciative materials. From these napkins you can do anything: from a simple folded triangle - an eternal classic of roadside and simple cafes, to bizarre cone-shaped figures, hats, swans, if you like. You just need to get a little used to working with delicate paper and enjoy the result.

Rags look more restrained and give any feast a noble, solemn spirit. They look charmingly tied with coarse thread, with a ring worn in the middle, or simply beautifully and unusually folded. Often you can see tags on the napkins with the name of the guest who is assigned this place. It is both practical and stylish.

A win-win. Suitable for large and solemn events, as well as for everyday table setting. The main convenience is that the flower decoration is easy to reproduce at home and change it depending on the mood.

There are a lot of variations: you can make a complex composition of flowers, leaves and ribbons, you can collect wildflowers and meadow flowers (actually in the summer), or you can reduce everything to a minimalist style and limit yourself to delicate elegant branches that emphasize the taste and style of home decoration of the laid table.

The unchanging classic of romantic dinners and wedding feasts. Guests are tuned in the right way, being the final touch in creating the necessary atmosphere of the holiday. Complete and complement any composition, regardless of genre and style.

Rough thick candles of classic beige or dark shades will look great in the middle of a brutal composition that can decorate an oak table, and thin and sophisticated wonderfully fit into an ensemble with fresh flowers and branches.

When decorating a festive table, you should pay attention to non-standard ways of its design. Usually you can be inspired by the theme of the holiday: on New Year's Day you can take artificially snowy fir paws, tinsel, Christmas toys to match or in contrast to the tablecloth as decorations. Unusual and bold decisions are the key to success.

In a country house you can use the real rarities: grandfather clocks, old photographs, woven openwork napkins and other things with a touch of antiquity. The summer table will be decorated with artistically scattered fruits.

Particular attention should be paid to the safety of cutlery. Any, even the most beautiful and well-assembled table setting will lose all its appearance and gloss, if the devices can not boast of its crystal purity and brilliance. Stains, stains and rust can not only dull the appetite, but also kill it altogether. It is unlikely that guests will want to return to the house, in which they suggest using dirty spoons.

It is best to store the sets in special organizers with compartments: forks to forks, spoons to spoons, knives to knives. This is especially true of silverware. Upon completion of use, they need to be washed in a hot soda solution and wiped dry with a towel - if this is not done, silver will quickly fade and blacken from moisture, so such devices need special care. However, if something went wrong and the silver faded, this can be corrected: it is enough to prepare a mixture of tooth powder, ammonia, water and soda. Mix all ingredients equally.

Everyday appliances require less care: cleaning with grease and dirt removes the most common means, and washing in a dishwasher saves time and energy.

In serving matters, the golden rule, which was already mentioned above, remains unchanged: there should be nothing superfluous on the table. You don’t need a fish fork for fried eggs, and you can’t eat beef stroganoff with a dessert spoon. One of the functions of serving is to streamline the space on the table and create convenience for dining.

When everything is beautiful at the dining place, you also want to enjoy food more.

The easiest repeatable serving option. We follow and fix the basic rule: on the table is only what you really have to use during this meal and what you can’t do without. The rest must be removed. This, of course, does not apply to table decorations. The main requirement for them is relevance and style.

Serving for two suggests that most likely the atmosphere will be informal, so you can do without strict adherence to all the requirements for a laid table. It is enough to have the necessary number of plates (which, we repeat, depends on the proposed menu), devices and glasses.

The main thing is to withstand and maintain the mood by successful and appropriate serving. How exactly it will be: friendly, romantic, easy or playful, only two decide.

For table setting in the fourth it is worth following all the same rules. And here again, the genre of the laid table dictates the relationship and the reason for the gathering. Friendly meetings do not require strict observance of the rules, rather, it will even prevent the prevailing spirit of carelessness from doing its job and helping to relax in a pleasant, warm company. On the contrary, in business meetings it is better to focus on the canons of etiquette: this will help constructive conversation and focus on small details.

The table can be anything, but at the same time spacious enough so that each of the guests has enough space and no one intrudes elbow into someone else's living space.

In the mornings, each of us, without noticing it, makes a mini-table setting: takes out cups, mugs, plates, does everything for his convenience. However, there are certain rules that help including optimizing breakfast time.

During the morning meal, the plate with food is set in the center. On the left is a fork and spoon, on the right is a knife. Everything follows the golden serving rule.

A coffee cup is placed in the right corner of the main course. On the left, as always, a small plate is placed for butter, bread and other additional goodies.

Options already appear in the dinner table: someone's lunch consists of a first, second and third course, while someone is satisfied with one meal.

The place of mugs and cups is occupied by a glass for water and a glass for wine. Dishes for drinks are all in the same place as always - to the right and top of the main dish.

Deep plates are placed on serving, large and flat. On the left, small but important plates for bread take their place of honor.

As a rule, dinner is the most luxurious and hearty meal of the day. All things are done, there is no need to rush anywhere and therefore you can relax in a pleasant company of friends or yourself. And the serving changes after the time of day.

Now the guest has more glasses and glasses - for an aperitif. More cutlery appears, they are arranged in a classic sequence. Otherwise, the rules do not change: forks - on the left, knives - on the right, the farther from the dish - the earlier the device will be needed.

Special events require additional sections in the menu and corresponding decoration. So, on the table may be a real path of salads or sweet treats, taking up too much space at the main table. And in serving such dishes there are subtleties that deserve attention.

The color scheme dictates the occasion.

• For a children's holiday bright, joyful and cheerful serving will be appropriate. Disposable multi-colored dishes are perfect for this purpose - both safe and warm your soul for your favorite service.
• For decoration of an adult dessert table There are no special recommendations: it all depends on the wishes of the heroes of the occasion and the occasion of the holiday. The main thing is if the party is thematic, then the elements of decoration must necessarily correspond to this topic and be recognizable.

It is very important not to overdo it and not to turn an elegant colorful table into a vulgar bad taste. To do this, you should carefully consider the choice of special decorations and the background of the table: this plays an important role in the formation of a solid image. In design, you can use even completely seemingly irrelevant objects: books, mirrors, floral decorations, photo albums - all this will serve as additional entertainment for guests, when the bulk of the treats will be eaten.

Sometimes serving a sweet table involves multi-level beautiful cakes. Often they can be seen (and tasted) at weddings, anniversaries, birthdays. The decoration of such an important attribute of the holiday as a huge cake is in the first place in the serving of a sweet table.

The main thing here is a thoughtful composition. It is necessary to decide whether it will be hooligan asymmetric or perfectly verified, how many levels and what elements should be included in it for a more effective image of the dessert corner.

For sweet tooth treats should be varied. Some of the guests can adore marmalade and hate bitter chocolate, while the other is exactly the opposite. The owner's task is to please everyone, so you need to prepare more different sweets.

The main sweet dish is the cake. Other sweets play a secondary role, but are necessary for tea drinking. It is important to remember that all sweets should be portioned, but at the same time should be enough for everyone.

A sweet table is significantly different from the main one. It is a common misconception that he is only interested in children, so you can make it super bright. However, this is not at all - for many adults, a sweet tooth is probably the most important table at the event.

Whether it will be a children's party or an adult anniversary, the design of the sweet table should be consistent with the stated purpose. The number and variety of desserts also affects the choice of furniture. At the same time, you need to immediately assess the scale of the treats and distribute the load - not so much the physical weight of kilograms of sweets as their uniform distribution on the table surface: everything should be done stylishly and tastefully and not only cause appetite and greed for lust of sweet tooth, but also admiration for talent host of the evening.

Snacks are the first thing to go. Guests stimulate the appetite with light, tasty and simple treats. Cold dishes are for every taste and color, so that each of the guests will find what he likes.

Everyone loves salads. Not a single feast is complete without them, and the celebration immediately ceases to be a celebration if there is not even one such dish among the treats. Therefore, it is worth paying special attention to them. As a rule, salads are served in large salad bowls, from which guests use special devices to take a serving to their plate.

Sausage slices are usually laid out in several rows. As a rule, it is cut thinly and diagonally, so that on a plate it looks like flat elongated circles. Often, to save space or when there is nowhere to put another plate, different types of meat treats are stacked in one in several rows, but not mixed up. Cooked meat or sausage is cut thicker. Decoration with parsley or dill is welcome.

Herring is served in special plates - long elongated narrow saucers, reminiscent of the herring itself, or other suitable dishes for this. Usually, when serving such an appetizer, they recall the silhouette of the fish and lay out the pieces in a likeness to it.

The fish itself as an main dish is served in oval plates.Red fish (salted or smoked) is served chopped into thin slices. They successfully accompany a slice of lemon. Very often, fresh greens play the role of decoration.

Cheese is either cut into thin slices and laid out on a small plate, or into cubes into which special skewers are stuck so that each guest can take for himself the piece that interests him. Yes, and such a presentation looks more interesting and more convenient in fact - you do not have to repeatedly unsuccessfully stick a piece of cheese on four teeth of a fork and blush from its sluggishness.

Natural oysters are served on an ice cushion with lemon as a side dish. The oyster fork, scary from the start of the meal, is on the right. Together with oysters served gray bread or toast, butter.

Lobster is served on a large plate. You need to eat it with a fork and a knife for seafood, as well as a special needle. It is laid at an acute angle to the fish knife. Be sure to need a bowl for washing your fingers.

Serving vegetables is perhaps the easiest action of all to prepare snacks. Everything is very democratic here. Small cucumbers and tomatoes are not forbidden to take with your hands. Large ones are served in advance cut into slices (for tomatoes) and circles (cucumbers). They are decorated with a chopped mixture of greens - onions, dill. Onions and red duets are great. Sliced ​​vegetables can be sprinkled with olive or vegetable oil. Salt and pepper are usually served side by side.

Pickled and salted cucumbers are served chopped in length. They can share one plate with sauerkraut.

Each country has its own culture, especially feast. Hence, some features of table behavior and differences in the rules and perception of etiquette. What is considered the norm in one country turns into rudeness and disrespect for the owner in the neighboring one.

Let's consider some features of etiquette of the European and Asian countries.

A country where etiquette and decency rules are absorbed with mother's milk. A huge role is played by traditions. The British are extremely scrupulous, unlike the Russians, to observe these subtleties and rules - especially in such an important area as table culture.

It is not customary to start a conversation with an unrepresented person, to keep your hands on the table - they should rest on your knees. Shifting the fork and knife from the right to the left hand is a complete taboo! The fork from the beginning to the end of the meal should remain in the left hand, and the knife in the right. And no exceptions.

The Germans value their and other people's time, therefore being late here is to deeply offend the owner. It is not customary to appear without a gift: you must have a symbolic present with you like flowers. The eldest of those present is the first to sit down at the table, and the owner of the house is given the right to start dinner first. If the reception takes place in a restaurant, then all guests should definitely wish them a pleasant appetite.

It is better not to discuss personal topics at the table - in Germany, trust must be earned.

In France, it is customary to invite only people who have become friends to visit, so receiving such an invitation is a great honor for a foreigner. They are not as late as Germans as being late: a delay of up to 15 minutes is considered to be harmless and not coarse. We can say that it's almost like arriving on time. Shoes, by the way, are not accepted to be removed at the entrance to the house.

It is customary for the French to eat up the dish, and they can count the hand reaching for the salt shaker as belittling their culinary talents. When strong drinks are offered at the end of dinner, this is a sure sign that the evening is over.

Unlike France, here not to take off your shoes at the entrance to the guests is considered disrespectful. Instead of a handshake - a low bow. Tardiness is perceived extremely negatively, therefore it is better not to risk and not offend the subtle soul of the Japanese.

Before eating, be sure to wish everyone a pleasant appetite. The Japanese judge the man's upbringing precisely by the way he handles the chopsticks. A guest swinging them right and left, using them to point to others and sticking tips into food is a bad guest.

At the same time, loud champing and other sounds of the meal are considered praise for the dish. From the duration of the “mooing” from the pleasure and taste of the food, the owner can understand how much the guest was treated to the treat.

At the end of the dinner, you must definitely thank the owner of the house and the cook. Leaving in Japan "in English" is considered rude.

All countries of the world have their own characteristics. And yet, one thing remains unchanged: respect and respect for the owner and the guests present. Therefore, before traveling to a foreign country, it is imperative to familiarize yourself with the local standards of decency and etiquette, so as not to get into trouble.

Here are some ideas that can inspire you to create an original table setting at home or showcase exemplary and unusual table decorating solutions.

Spring and fresh table setting for four persons for a round table. This serving option will relieve the guests of the winter cool and present a good mood.

Pre-table setting: a diagram for beginners.

Chic version of the full serving, made in yellow.

There are many dining table ideas. Here are examples of how to sort stylish and original tables set. Bright decor with rowan branches and cones is a stunning decoration for any holiday.

You can learn about other tricks and subtleties of table setting from the next video. Proper table setting is an art that can be easily learned.