European & English Dining Table Etiquette

The management of eating utensils at rest suggests continental style dining etiquette.

Etiquette instructs people on how to behave. Some people use etiquette to display snobbery, while others use it to lend a sense of style. In its basic form, etiquette represents the accepted code of good manners--one of the niceties of life that mark you as civilized and thoughtful to the needs of others. Basic decorum applies everywhere, but dining customs will vary according to country.

Continental Style

Good manners at English and European dining tables require the use of continental-style etiquette. Also known as the European style, it's characterized by the diner holding the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the course of the meal. The placement of the knife and fork will tell the server the diner's intention, whether merely resting or done with the meal.

History

Evolution of utensils or introduction of new foods creates the need for instruction regarding how to deal with them in society. Often royalty set a trend that's imitated by the subservient classes, such as in the case of afternoon tea, a peculiarly British tradition that the What's Cooking America website says originated with the Duchess of Bedford during Queen Victoria's reign. Feeling faint of hunger in the afternoon, she invited friends to her rooms for tea and a light repast to tide them over until the later dinner hour. This quickly became fashionable with the copy-cat middle classes wishing to affect royal habits, launching the twittering concerns of the proper etiquette regarding pinkies up or pinkies down.

Scope

Dining etiquette addresses the full scope of dining, including the correct use of silverware, passing foods, use of napkins, the management of indigestible foods, toasts, drinking, whether smoking is permissible and acceptable topics of conversation. Dining at a restaurant broadens the list to include ordering, tipping and the courteous use of cell phones, according to Andy Gilchrist of AskAndyAboutClothes.com.

Significance

Proper etiquette or the lack thereof can have far-reaching consequences. Ignorance of European or British dining customs could mark you as vulgar. Minor faux pas may be overlooked, but a major transgression could cost you the new job or sour a business deal, warns the Salisbury University Career Services website. The stakes increase if the offense occurs during dinners of state, where international news may focus criticism on the offender.

Expert Insight

The maxim, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," applies, as dining customs do vary by country. Insider knowledge--such as knowing that the British rest their hands under the table when not eating versus the continental custom of keeping wrists at the table between courses--can earn you a reputation as a savvy diner, Gilchrist points out.

References

• Ask Andy About Clothes: Proper Table Manners
• Woodlands Junior School: Eating Etiquette
• The Protocol School of Texas: American vs. European Dining
• What's Cooking America: History of High Tea-History English Afternoon
• Salisbury University Career Services: Dining Etiquette During the Interview

Resources

• Etiquette Scholar Website