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| Mom never stops being your mother |
Whether you come from a family of wealth, or simple surroundings, old fashioned table manners is akin to a "tell" in a poker game. Manners "telegraph" who you are. Con men are the most polite people for a reason: They know that good manners instills trust and respect. It's most essential with family.In this unbecoming financial economy, best behavior is still free. It costs nothing to behave properly, and it restores a feeling of order when order is out of control. Everyone admires and respects good manners.
No matter how busy your life is, there is always time for good manners, especially at the table. We eat meals out, order delivery, drive in and out, microwave instant box meals, boil and bake something prepared and carried home from the grocery store.
It is a fast food world where it's easy to miss the opportunity to share a meal together.
Mom's best tip is to eat with someone, and make a memory that lasts a lifetime.
Mom's 21 Tips on Table Manners
1. Be on time for the meal.
2. Dress appropriately.
3. If YOU are a guest, before sitting at the table, wait for your hostess to sit first, unless she says to go ahead and sit.
4. Turn off your cell phone. Your full attention should be on the person or people who your are eating with. Otherwise, you will give the dangerous impression that you think there is someone more important than him or her.
5. Don't talk with your mouth full of food. It is difficult to understand what you're saying, and it's not pleasant to see your food being smashed about inside your talking mouth. There is also the risk that a piece of food from your mouth might fly out onto the table. Yikes! How embarrassing is that. Chew with your mouth closed.
6. Don't gobble your food in a rush. Give your mouth some space to converse.
7. Don't burp. It's not cute and it's not a compliment in most parts of the world, no matter what you heard. If a burp or hiccup escapes, just quietly say, "excuse me."
8. Never reach across someone's plate to get an item. Always ask for it to be passed.
9. If right-handed, hold the knife in that hand while cutting and the fork in your left. Put the knife down on your plate and switch the fork to your right hand to eat the piece that has been cut.
10. If food must be removed from your mouth, it should be done using the same method which was used to bring the food to the mouth, such as by your hand or fork.
11. Keep your elbows off the table while eating. It can interfere with the person seated next to you. After the meal has been cleared, you may put your elbows on the table in order to lean forward to join in conversation.
12. Do not leave the napkin on the seat of your chair, even if leaving temporarily. A dirty napkin should never be placed on a chair seat, because it may leave a stain or part of food on the chair. Also, you do not want to use a napkin that has been set on the seat of a chair. At the end of the meal, loosely place the used napkin on the table to the left of your plate.
13. When you finish eating, your knife and fork should be placed across your plate pointing to 11:00.
14. A man should help a lady with her chair. This has not gone out of style.
Dining Out
15. When you are invited to dine out, your water glass is the one on your right. The bread dish to the left is yours. Use the utensils from the outside in.
16. Do not order the most expensive item on the menu. Save that for when YOU are paying the check.
17. Don't order messy foods that are difficult to eat. You will feel self-conscious as you try to keep the greasy sandwich from dripping on your clothes. Think about yourself with barbecue sauce smeared across your cheeks after slobbering over baby rack ribs. Not a pretty sight, is it?
18. Speaking of messy foods, do not lick your fingers, use a napkin.
19. Put butter on your bread dish. Break off bite-size pieces of bread to butter and eat one at a time.
20. Never lift your soup bowl and drink up the final drops. You can tilt the bowl away from you and scoop the final amount with the spoon pushing away from you. Don't try to get every last drop.
21. It's easy to have good manners with all the technology that there is today. A thank you note is always appreciated. Write a thank you note when you are a guest in someone's home, especially when it's a family member. It is acceptable to email or text your "thanks" as well.
That's it for today, blog.