How to hold the plug?

You need to hold the fork in your left hand, and the knife in your right. This rule is familiar to all of us from early childhood. Someone literally from the cradle absorbs all the rules of behavior at the table, and someone needs to re-learn all the wisdom of etiquette in adulthood.

In order not to get into an awkward situation during a dinner party, you should know the basic rules of etiquette and understand exactly what tableware is intended for which dish.

Using ordinary cutlery at home is one thing, but in a cafe or restaurant, it's another. At home, we relax and do not always remember how and what to do on etiquette. But at a dinner at a party or restaurant, no one wants to be in an awkward situation. Therefore, it is worth remembering the elementary rules of behavior at the table, so as not to get into a mess.

There are general rules that state which tableware should be held in the right and which in the left hand:

• If the knife is in the right hand, then the fork should be in the left. In this case, she acts more as an assistant, since the main one in this party is the knife.
• Hold the cutlery so that the teeth are always pointing down, the end of the handle of the cutlery should rest in your palm.
• As for the knife, then it should be kept correctly. The index finger of the right hand should be positioned so that you can easily press on the blade of the tableware itself. The end of the knife should also rest against the palm of the hand.

• You cannot hold cutlery in your hand as if you were holding a pencil. Also, do not take them too close to the base.
• Usually, these two cutlery items are used to eat meat dishes.If you correctly hold tableware in your hands, then it will be easy to cut off small pieces of meat.

You also need to know the elementary rules on how to properly serve the dishes:

• A small piece, for example, of meat, must be correctly chopped into the cloves. The index finger of the left hand should be pressed firmly to the cutlery handle, slightly pressing. Then gently send the food into your mouth.
• You can not immediately divide the whole steak into small pieces and continue to eat with a fork in his right hand. Each time, cut a portion piece.

• Having cut off a small piece of meat, set aside the cutlery, carefully placing them with the tips on the edge of the plate while chewing.
• If you were served meatballs, cabbage rolls, scrambled eggs or casserole, then in this case you can use one fork and hold it in your right hand. Tilt the fork so that with its edge you can break off a piece of the dish. Then prick it and enjoy the meal.

• The use of a knife while serving a dish such as cabbage rolls is also allowed.
• When eating a meat dish with a side dish, it is quite possible that the fork can replace a tablespoon. For example, if mashed potatoes or rice were served as a side dish. It is worth remembering that to take the side dish correctly on the fork, its teeth should look up. Small particles of the dish, mashed potatoes and other side dishes, various salads should be taken with scooping movements from yourself.

• Do not pick up a lot of garnish or salad on the fork, otherwise you may get into an unpleasant situation. Food may not stay on the teeth and fall on the plate. Or to eat all this, you have to open your mouth wide and indecent.
• Complex sandwiches should not be eaten with hands, but with a knife and fork.

• Salad can be eaten without a knife. It is allowed to prick large pieces.
• If, during a meal, you decide to pause and, for example, go dancing, you should lay the devices on a plate cross-wise so that the waiter understands that the dish cannot be taken so far.

• Fruits such as an apple or banana should be eaten with a knife and fork.
• Sliced ​​meat, large pieces of meat, meatloaf and sausages should be eaten according to the same rules as the main meat dish. Gently take a piece of meat and put it on your plate, and then, cutting off a small portion, you can safely taste it.
• After the meal, the cutlery that you used should be laid directly on the plate parallel to each other. It is strictly forbidden to place them directly on a table or napkin after use.

To feel confident during a dinner party, you need to know not only how to properly hold the fork, knife or spoon, but also know what this or that cutlery is intended for.

There are fish, meat, dessert forks, etc. Each of them differs from the other in the number of teeth, as well as in size:

• Four-prong cutlery - This is a fork called the dining room. It is widely used for eating second courses. In particular, various kinds of meatballs, steaks, stuffed cabbage, casseroles, omelettes, etc. It is easy to recognize it, since it must always correspond to the diameter of the plate. During serving, this item of the cutlery should be placed with its teeth up next to the main plate.

• A little smaller, but also with four prongs - this snack bar. As a rule, it is used for cold and hot snacks. It should be located on the left side of the fish.

• Fish - this fork with four prongs. But its shape can be very diverse: rounded edges, a groove between the teeth, etc. The shape of this cutlery directly depends on which fish will be served on the table. This appliance should be located to the left of the table fork.

• By the way, a fork designed for herring, different from ordinary fish. Its difference is that it has only two teeth. And the device for, for example, sprat has four, and sometimes five teeth, the ends of which are connected by a single jumper.

Seafood has its own cutlery, which is easy to distinguish both in shape and in the number of teeth:

• For shrimp there is a device with two teeth, which differs in its length.
• For cold cocktails and appetizers of various kinds of seafood, a device with three teeth is intended, one of which should be longer and sharper.
• For lobsters, a device with small curved teeth is intended.

All cutlery intended for seafood are arranged in the order in which the dishes will be served.

• Dessert - It is intended for fruit pies, cakes and other tasty and sweet pastries. It has only three teeth. It is placed directly above the plate, the teeth should be directed to the right.

• Fruit or salad - This cutlery is equipped with only two teeth. As a rule, together with such a fork, a fruit knife should be paired.

See how to hold the fork and use other cutlery in the next video.