Table manners are very noticeable in a restaurant or any public eating place. Perhaps you have been around children who were much too noisy at the table. It was hard to enjoy your food.
I had dinner with my 14 year old nephew at a nice restaurant recently. When we were shown to our table, he stood behind his mother’s chair to seat her. He told the waitress “yes, please” and “thank you” when asked a question. I could tell that the waitress was surprised and very impressed. I had the feeling she didn’t hear this very often.
Want to impress the waitress (and your parents and others as well)?
Here are ten table manners as found in Amy Houts’ book, Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids – Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun. Good manners and good table etiquette make a difference to others and hopefully are important to you, too.
1. Come to the table with clean hands.
2. Chew with your mouth closed.
3. Wait until everyone is served before you start to eat if it is a small group.
4. Don’t talk while chewing.
5. Don’t interrupt while others are talking.
6. Ask someone to pass food rather than reaching in front of others for it. Don’t forget “please” and “thank you”.
7. Don’t eat noisily.
8. Use your napkin. Never, ever blow your nose in your napkin!
9. Ask “May I please be excused?” when you want to leave the table.
10. Talk about pleasant subjects while at the table.
Our life styles have become more casual and informal. Table etiquette guidelines, too, have become more relaxed from former times. However, good manners never go out of style. They are based on being considerate of others.
