It’s exciting whenever we get a chance to wine and dine with friends and family, especially when celebrating something because sharing a meal always brings us closer together and there is always something to catch up on. However, there are those times you could get an invite to a conference, an official event or anything work-related and then comes the time to eat; you need to be on your A-game and can’t let that spaghetti mess your outfit as you try to swirl it into your mouth.

We have visited a couple of restaurants and hotels over the past few weeks and were able to speak to a few experts and gather some tips on what we really should consider when it comes to dining etiquette. We hope these tips will come in handy for you as you visit some of your favourite places.

Napkins

First things first, wash your hands. Many times a disinfected hot towel is offered for you to wipe your hands and place it back on the tray. After this, you spread the napkin on your table across your laps so that in case of any food droppings, you don’t mess your outfit. For children, their napkins should be tacked in their shirts right under the chin

Spoons/forks/knives

Have you ever gone for a 3-course meal and you have about 20 different spoons? Well, the trick is quite simple, you start with the spoons farthest from the plate coming in towards the plate. For example, if your starter is soup, you’ll realize that the spoons furthest away are soup spoons (with a deep curve). If your next meal is fish, you’ll find that the second last on your left is a fork and on your right a knife; it goes on until the final spoons which are for dessert and closest to the plate.

When using a fork and knife, the fork should be on your left hand and the knife on your right. Once you are done eating, place the fork and knife across each other on the plate like an ‘X’ to indicate to the waiter that you are done.

Drink

An option of drinks are usually available, including fresh fruit, hot and cold drinks. With wine, always remember that the red goes with red meat and the white goes with white meat. You should also not sip your drink after every bite of food, it’s advised that you finish eating then have your drink. There may be many different glasses on the table – your choice of drink determines the glass it is served in.

Don’ts when dining 

• Do not rest your elbows on the table, they should always be away from the table.
• Do not look around when sipping your drink, your eyes should look at the glass/cup.
• Do not mix food together, create space on the plate for each kind.
• Don’t fill your mouth too much, leave enough space to chew comfortably.
• Always serve what you’ll finish.

We are sure the list is endless so in case we have left anything out please let us know in the comments, also do tell us your worst or best dining experiences.