How to hold a fork: simple rules of etiquette. Table etiquette

Learning how to use cutlery is not difficult at all.

The main thing- learn how to use them for their intended purpose.

Sitting at the table, pay attention to how it is served.

A large number of devices should not make you shy or embarrassed.

If you do not know how to use this or that cutlery, look at how others do it.

How to use cutlery correctly:

Those devices that lie to the right of your plate are held while eating with your right hand, and those that lie to the left are held with your left hand.

Dessert devices, located with handles to the right, are taken with the right hand, and located with handles to the left, with the left hand.

When passing cutlery to any of the guests sitting at the table, hold it by the middle.

When using a knife and fork while eating, hold them horizontally above the plate.

Keep the knife in right hand until the end of the meal - even in those moments when you use only a fork.

You can not first cut the dish with a knife, and then use only a fork.

You should not put food with a knife on a fork, they only slightly correct what you take with a fork.

If several forks are served, start eating the one that is farthest from the plate.

Soup and other liquid dishes are eaten with a spoon and held in the right hand. If a soup or other liquid dish is served in a cup, it is also eaten with a spoon, and only a small amount of unhot broth can be drunk.

After finishing the meal, the spoon, knife and fork are not leaned against the edge of the plate and are not placed on the tablecloth - they are placed on the plate.

How to eat certain foods

Many people often have questions about how to properly eat certain foods served at the common table. As in most other cases, if you do not know what to do, be careful and learn etiquette from others.

Remember the basic rules:

Sausages are eaten with a knife and fork, cut into pieces.

Vinaigrette, scrambled eggs, vermicelli and pasta are eaten with a fork (you can help yourself with a piece of bread).

Sliced ​​sausages and cheese are placed on a plate with a special fork and eaten, cut into pieces, with a knife and fork.

Rice is eaten with a fork rice porridge- with a spoon.

Vegetables are not cut.

Boiled potatoes are crushed with the edge of a fork. Do not cut it with a knife or stick it on a fork.

Compotes, ice cream, creams and jellies are served in small bowls, put on a pie plate and eaten with a dessert or teaspoon. It is impossible to drink compote from a bowl, as from a cup. After eating, the spoon must be put on a plate, and not left in a bowl.

A slice of watermelon with a peel is taken from a common plate by hand. It is eaten with a knife and fork in small pieces, freeing each cut piece from the seeds.

A slice of melon peeled from seeds with a peel is placed on a plate with the crust down. Cut off the pulp with a knife from the peel and eat with a fork, cutting off a small piece.

A piece sponge cake and biscuit cakes are eaten on their plate with a teaspoon. Sand and puff cakes and pastries are usually eaten with a knife and fork. The hard almond cake is eaten by holding it with the fingers and biting into small pieces.

Cookies and waffles are taken by hand and eaten, breaking off small pieces.

Quite often, people feel embarrassed in the company of strangers, because they do not know which hand to hold the knife in and which fork. To feel confident during a feast, it is important to familiarize yourself with basic principles behavior. There are currently several styles of etiquette for handling cutlery. Each of them will be considered in the presented material. Let's figure out which hand to hold the knife and fork in.

European etiquette

Which hand is the knife, which is the fork European-style etiquette? In this case, the fork is placed on the left side of the plate. The knife, in turn, is placed on the right. Sometimes a dish requires the use of several forks. In such a situation, the extreme, more distant from the plate, is used for salads. The fork, which was placed closer to the plate, should be used for the main course.

However, the above subtleties require a separate discussion. For now, let's focus on how the knife and fork are held. In which hand? The etiquette adopted in European countries involves holding a knife in the right hand. The index finger must be placed at the base of the blade. The remaining fingers wrap around the handle of the device. The fork must be held in the left hand. During the meal, teeth cutlery must be directed downward. The index finger should rest against the back surface of the fork at the very base. However, it must be positioned so as not to touch the food itself. The remaining fingers should wrap around the handle of the device.

How to use cutlery in European etiquette?

So we found out in which hand the knife is in which fork. Now let's figure out how to handle cutlery. Having correctly grasped them, it is necessary to bend the wrists so that the latter are facing down towards the plate. Elbows should be kept relaxed, somewhat pressed to the body. This will allow you not to hurt the next person at the table.

While cutting, hold the food with a fork. Pressure on the device should be carried out only with the index finger. Cut off pieces of food should be unhurried sawing movements. Usually one or more cuts are made per pressing the knife.

Having prepared food for consumption, you need to put a small piece of it in your mouth, pricked on the prongs of the fork facing down. At the same time, the cutlery should remain in the left hand, even if it is used by a right-hander. Although this may seem inconvenient to an unprepared person, such actions are required by the rules of European etiquette.

american etiquette

In which hand is the knife, in which fork in American etiquette? In contrast to the European style of handling cutlery, here the fork must be held like writing pen. The handle is located between the index and thumb. The remaining fingers support the base of the cutlery from below. In this case, the fork teeth turn downwards.

The knife is held with the right hand. The fingers are placed in the same way as in the European style of etiquette. The index finger is at the base of the device. The rest grab the handle.

After cutting the food, the knife is placed on the edge of the plate. The fork is shifted to the right hand. Its teeth rotate upwards. Thus, the food does not prick on the teeth, but is hooked by them from below. The presented method remains common in America, but has recently been practiced in European countries.

How to fold cutlery after a meal?

If you need to move away from the table for a while or take a break, for example, to chat or drink water, you need to put the working part of the knife and fork on a plate. The ends of the instrument handles should rest against the table.

Some people mistakenly believe that at the end of the meal, the knife and fork should be folded crosswise on the plate. However, according to generally accepted rules of etiquette, this is not at all the case. Such actions tell the waiter that the dinner is not over yet, and the time has not come to pick up the plate. In fact, to tell the serving staff that the meal is over, you need to lay the cutlery parallel to each other. It is noteworthy that in European etiquette, the fork is placed with the prongs down, and in American - up.

In which hand should I take the knife and fork? There are several tips, following which you can not be afraid to make a mistake at the table:

1. In order not to confuse yourself if it is necessary to observe table etiquette, it is recommended that you always hold the fork in your left hand.
2. The knife must be clasped with fingers only for the upper third of the handle of the device. In no case should you hold it in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe blade.
3. All cutlery at the beginning of the meal is placed on the right side of the plate. After that, they take the right one and stack it on the necessary side.
4. Dishes prepared from poultry with small bones are divided by hand, without the use of a knife and fork. The same is true when serving fish.

Finally

So we figured out in which hand the knife is in which fork. Finally, it is worth noting that during the organization of large feasts, devices of various purposes are often served. In this case, the main thing is to adhere to the rules that were described above. Well, in order to figure out which device is intended for what, before you start eating, you should watch the more experienced neighbors on the table. This will not allow you to get confused and demonstrate your incompetence in such a delicate matter as observing etiquette.

Sitting at the table, look at how it is served, which ones are opposite. It is important to remember that all objects lying on the right side must be taken with the right hand, and vice versa. The knife is placed according to the rules, and the fork is on the left. Take the knife in your right hand so that its end rests on the palm of your hand, and not far from the beginning of the blade, hold it with your index, thumb and middle fingers, while the index should rest against the upper surface of the knife handle. When cutting food, this finger must be pressed to provide the necessary pressure.

The remaining fingers are not used when holding the knife, they can be bent slightly towards the palm.

The fork is held in the left hand with the teeth down: the end of the handle also rests on the palm, and the index finger lies on top. In this way, the fork is held, if it is necessary to take a piece of food, piercing it with teeth. But in some cases, when you need to eat not meat, but a soft side dish or other food, it is impossible to use a fork in this way. You need to turn it upside down and scoop up food, like. In this case, it is necessary to hold the device in the same way as a pen.

How to use a fork and knife?

To cut off a piece of food, bend your hands with cutlery at the wrists so that the index fingers resting on the upper surface are pointing at the plate. With a fork, you need to hold the part of the food that you want to cut off from the main piece. With a knife, pressing with your finger, cut off this part - it should remain pierced on the teeth, now it can be eaten.

It is wrong to hold the main piece with a fork, cut off a small part on the right with a knife and then stick the teeth into the resulting piece.

If you are eating a side dish, then the fork can be turned over, and the knife in this case is used to pick up food on the teeth. Do not swap them - even if you use a fork like a spoon.

It is not customary to cut bread with a knife - it is broken off. Also, you can not cut the fish (if it is not pickled or smoked fish) - it is eaten using other devices. Do not use a fork and knife when butchering and crabs. Lettuce leaves are cut with a rib, and pieces are also separated with a fork from soft dishes - meatballs, meatballs.

If you want to go out for a while, but have not finished your meal, do not forget to leave cutlery, otherwise they may be carried away. The fork and knife should be crossed on the plate - if you put them together, it will mean that you have eaten and want your plate to be taken away.

Table etiquette is easy to master. To do this, read about how to properly hold the fork and knife, in what order to use them as the dishes are served.

You go to a restaurant where you have to follow the rules of table etiquette. Otherwise, you risk getting into an awkward position. The simplest and most reliable way is to observe those people who are fluent in this knowledge.

But, if you have never eaten with a knife and fork, then simply looking at it will not help much. After all, you need to confidently and correctly hold the fork and knife in your hands. And this is only possible with some practice.

Today we will deal with this. To begin with, we will learn how to hold cutlery, and we will also learn how to eat using them at home. It's never too late to learn these basics!

So, modern rules table etiquette .

• We hold the knife in the right hand, and the fork in the left. We remember that the main knife in this duet, and the fork will be an assistant.
• Table etiquette instructs to keep the fork in the left hand at all times. At the same time, her teeth should be directed downwards, and the end of her handle rested on the palm of her left hand.
• In the case when we use only a fork, we hold it in our right hand with the teeth down.
• At the same time, all cutlery should be held only by the upper third of the handle, and in no case by the blade of a knife, not by the tines of a fork or the arch of a spoon.
• All cutlery: knives or forks, should be to the right of the plate. Take them and hold them with your right hand while eating.
• Respectively, devices located to the left of the plate are taken with the left hand.
• If the dessert cutlery lies on the table with the handles to the right, they must be taken with the right hand. Those that are located with the handles to the left - with the left hand.
• If you want to get drunk or take a break from eating, then the fork and knife should be placed on the plate / \ like this, and not leaned against it. Fork tines up.
• Chicken with small bones (wings) and fish are eaten with the hands.

How to properly hold a fork, knife, spoon.

How to properly hold a knife

1. The index finger should lie on the handle and thus press on the blade of the knife.

2. The end of the knife handle should rest directly on the palm of your right hand.

3. In this case, the thumb and middle fingers will hold the beginning of the knife handle by the sides, and the index finger should be on the top surface of the beginning of the handle.

4. With the index finger, the knife handle is pressed down when cutting off the desired piece of food.

5. Bend the remaining fingers towards the palm.

How not to hold a knife

1. The knife cannot be held like a pencil between the index finger and thumb.

2. The knife should never be directed towards the mouth.

How to hold a fork correctly: 3 ways to use it.

Option 1 - Knife and fork:

1. The fork should be held in the left hand with the prongs down.

2. The end of her handle should rest a little on the palm.

3. At the same time, large and middle finger should clasp the fork by its edge, and the index should be on top, pressing down the handle of the fork.

4. The remaining fingers should be slightly bent and pressed freely against the palm.

5. The fork should always be directed towards the mouth so that it forms horizontal line. The most optimal position is to tilt it down a little.

In the photo, the fork is in the left hand with the prongs down.

How to eat with a fork:

1. To keep a piece of food on a fork or send it into your mouth with it, you need to keep your index finger on the handle, slightly pressing it down. The thumb and middle finger are used for balance.

2. Want pick up a side dish? In this case, place it on the prongs and then turn the fork. The fork handle should remain between your thumb and forefinger.

3. Need break something with a fork? It turns with an edge and by pressing the food breaks.

4. Need prick a hard piece on the tines of a fork? She turns straight, and by pressing her fingers the desired piece is pricked on her.

5. The fork can be used as a spoon picking up small food from the plate over the tines of the fork.

6. While eating the fork with the knife must be held at an angle to the dish. Otherwise, you risk dropping them along with the food.

7. In case when food cannot be pierced into cloves, for example, side dishes (mashed potatoes, cereals, salads, etc.), a fork can be used as a spoon, as if scooping up food from below. In this case, the cloves of the fork should be turned upside down. In this position, the fork should lie with the flat part of the handle on the middle finger, hold the fork handle on top with the thumb, and with the index finger on its side. When food cannot be taken from the plate with only one fork, it is allowed to help her with a knife, holding it in her right hand.

How not to use a fork:

1. A fork, like a knife, should never be held like a pencil.

2. Never fill the tines of a fork with food. Since, it will fall or you will have to open your mouth wide.

3. It is unacceptable to hold the fork in a clenched fist.

4. Do not try to prick food with it.

Option 2 - a fork like a spoon:

1. Small pieces of food and some side dishes for fish or meat (mashed potatoes, for example) cannot be eaten with a fork. In such cases, it can be used as a spoon.

2. You need to turn the fork with the teeth up so that the flat part of the beginning of the handle of your fork lies on your middle finger.

3. The handle itself should rest with its end against the base of the index finger.

4. With the index finger itself, hold the fork on its side, and on top - with a thumb.

5. The remaining fingers are again pressed to the palm. In this case, food is picked up with a fork, helping if necessary with the tip of a knife.

Option 3 - fork in the right hand.

In the case when the dish can be cut into pieces without the use of a knife, only a fork is served, which is held with the right hand.

How to hold a spoon

1. The spoon is held in the right hand.

2. The handle of the spoon is held between the thumb and forefinger.

3. The end of its handle lies at the base of the index finger, and its beginning lies on the middle one.

4. With the thumb, the spoon is pressed against the middle finger from above, and with the index finger, it adheres to the side.

5. Can be used to stir hot drinks to cool them down.

6. For stirring, do 1-2 turns gently.

Spoon Mistakes:

1. Overflowing the spoon entails pouring the soup onto the plate. Can drip on the chest or on the tablecloth.

2. Rumble with a spoon while stirring the liquid.

3. Very active stirring of the drink.

How to properly use a knife and fork according to table etiquette when eating certain dishes and products.

When you can or cannot use cutlery: fork and knife.

Bread.

You can't cut bread at the table with a knife. This is bad tone.

That's right - it's breaking off small pieces from it.

Ham or large pieces of meat.

Fish.

It should never be cut with a knife.

An exception is if marinated herring or hard smoked fish is served on the table in the form of fish.

Special cutlery is served with the fish dish: a fork and a special spatula for separating the bones, or just two table forks.

How to use a fork and a special spatula:

the fork is taken in left hand and is used directly for eating, and the shoulder blade to the right.

How to use two simple forks:

instead of a spatula, the second fork performs exactly the same function.

Crabs and crayfish.

Fork and knife cannot be used. Sometimes it is allowed to use an ordinary fork to extract meat from crayfish, sea mollusks or crabs. In all other cases, a special plug will be served, which will be much more convenient to use.

Poultry meat.

You are allowed to use a knife and fork.

Green lettuce leaves.

You can't cut with a knife. For these purposes, it is better to use a fork.

But here few people understood them in more detail. For many, it is sufficient that they know in which hand to hold a knife and in which to hold a fork. However, this is very little. In this article I want to talk about how to behave at the table correctly.

About etiquette

First of all, it must be said that there are different types behavior in this or that institution and even in this or that country. If you figure out how beautiful it is to eat, this question will be completely the same for European countries, in which you need to be at least quiet at the table, and for Asian ones, where thanks to the owner for delicious dinner expressed with loud champs and smacks. Also, behavior in a restaurant and visiting relatives at the table may differ slightly.

Restaurant etiquette

Understanding how beautiful it is is very important for those people who visit various restaurants from time to time. So, here it is important to behave correctly immediately after crossing the threshold of the institution. It is important to remember that the head waiter meets guests, tells if there are free seats, and takes them to the desired table. It is also his duty to pick up the outerwear of visitors. Approaching the table, a man (if guests of different sexes have come) must first help the lady sit down, pushing her chair a little, then he sits down himself. It is also important to remember how to sit at the table correctly. As for the position, the representative of the stronger sex should be opposite the woman or to her left. If the lady is a little late, the man can take a seat at the table, but when the head waiter takes her to the appointed place, the guy will definitely stand up as a sign of respect.

Order selection

When the couple is already at the table, the waiter is sure to serve the menu. It is not customary to rush to choose the desired dishes, in such establishments it is not customary to rush. Most often, the waiter will see that the guests are ready to order something, and he himself will come. But you can also call with a slight movement of the hand service staff to yourself. The order is made first by a woman, only then - by a man. However, a lady can ask a guy to do it for her, this is also allowed. If the guests cannot decide on the choice of wine, they can ask the waiter for advice. You can also consult with him about a particular dish, this is allowed by the rules of etiquette.

Expectation

How to behave at the table while the order has not yet arrived? At this time, guests can quietly communicate. The waiter will most likely bring the wine first. Only a restaurant employee uncorks bottles; a man should not take off from his place to do this. First, the drink is served to the ladies, then to the guys. As for food, you can start eating only after everyone at the table already has ordered dishes.

rules

Understanding how beautiful it is to eat, it is also important to remember that in restaurants it is strictly forbidden to pick up fallen objects from the floor. The waiter will do it. He must bring a clean instrument. If there was an embarrassment and broke, for example, a plate or a glass, do not worry. Just the restaurant will include its cost in the bill, and the case will be closed. No one will make scandals about this. If you want to salt the dish, and the salt shaker is on the other side of the table, you should not reach out for it yourself, you need to ask the neighbor just to serve what you need. It is also important to remember about decibels: you need to speak in a restaurant in a way that does not disturb others.

How to sit

Understanding how beautiful it is, it is important to remember that you need to sit at the table correctly. So, it is forbidden to put your elbows on the table, fall apart on a chair, swing on it. Also, you can not bend low over the plate. The back of the seated person should be straight, no need to slouch either. However, there should be no tension and rigidity in the posture, everything should be natural. When there is a change of dish, the guest is allowed to lean back a little so as not to interfere with the waiter and to rest a little in a comfortable position.

About food

It is worth remembering that it is not customary to rush in restaurants, meals are eaten slowly to enjoy them. palatability. If the food is quite hot, you can not blow on it. To cool down, you just need to wait a little, keeping the conversation going. If burning with burning food occurs, you can’t wave a napkin or hands into your mouth, you can only drink everything with water. Various bones, including fruit ones, are strictly forbidden to spit out or remove from the mouth with your hands. For this, a fork is designed, which is gently brought to the mouth and everything unnecessary is added there. If the person did not like the taste of the dish at all, you can bring a napkin close to your mouth and spit everything out there, without attracting the attention of others with indignation about this.

If you need to leave

The culture of behavior at the table has its own recommendations about mobile phones. So, if a guest is called, he can briefly say that he will call back without leaving his seat. However, if the conversation is urgent, be sure to move away. Talking at the table on the phone is a bad form. Also, if you need to leave, for example, to the restroom, you need to ask permission from everyone present at the table. You can also not talk to people sitting at the next table. If these are comrades or you just need to ask something, you need to get up and approach them. In the case when acquaintances enter the restaurant, they should be greeted sitting, with a slight nod of the head. A man gets up only if a lady joins his table. Women do not move in all situations.

End of meal

When the dinner has come to an end, the guests are full and satisfied, they can ask the waiter for the bill, which will mean that their stay in this institution has come to an end. The attendants will bring a folder in which the account will be indicated. It is also important to remember about the tip - 10% of the order value. Who should pay - that's another question. So, in the countries of the post-Soviet space, this is done mainly by men. In European countries, women are actively fighting this, considering it a relic of the past, and there everyone pays for himself. If the dinner was just friendly, you can ask the waiter in advance to bring a personal bill, for each person separately. It is also important to remember about surrender. If it is necessary, the person is simply silent. If there is money in the folder, part of which does not need to be returned, you just need to say: “Without change”, and this will be the end of the matter. It is important to remember that it is necessary to decide who will pay in advance, it is ugly to do this in front of the waiter. You also need to know who to complain to. To talk about everything that you liked or didn’t like, you need the head waiter, not the waiter.

Cutlery

But if all of the above is not too terrifying for the ignorant, then here's how to properly handle cutlery - this is a whole science. After all, there are a huge number of plates, knives, spoons and glasses of various sizes and purposes. It is elementary to know how to properly hold the fork and how to use it. So, when a person sits down at a table, no matter where it happens - in a restaurant or at home, he must definitely look around. So, according to the rules, a snack plate should stand straight, to the right of it - a pie or napkin plate. To the left of the plate should be spoons and knives, to the right - forks. If all this is observed at the table, we can conclude that certain manners are required from the guest. You also need to remember that a dessert device will be located in front of the plate, most likely a teaspoon. Wine glasses and glasses will stand behind the plate, they all also have their own purpose.

How to use cutlery

So what is the right way to hold a fork? This question often worries people. It is worth remembering that those devices that lie to the left of the plate are taken with the left hand, those on the right - with the right. That's all science. Dessert devices are arranged so that the handle will look to the right or left side. Depending on this, you need to decide which hand to take them with. As for the knife, according to the rules, the end of its handle should rest against the center of the palm, the thumb and middle finger are on the sides of the knife, and the index finger is in the center. The rest of the fingers are slightly bent towards the palm. The fork while eating is held so that its teeth look down, the handle, like that of a knife, rests on the palm. In the case when you need to eat small pieces of food, as well as a side dish - mashed potatoes or porridge, turn the fork upside down, and a knife can help in picking up food. The spoon is held in the left hand so that its end is at the base of the index finger, and the beginning is at the middle. If the dish is easily separated, the waiter can serve only the fork, in which case it must be held in the right hand. Now it should be clear to everyone, not only how to hold a fork and knife, but also other nuances of using cutlery. Moreover, it is not as difficult as it might seem at first.

Napkin

When figuring out how to eat beautifully, it is important to know that you also need to be able to manage with a napkin. Often it becomes the subject of table decoration, but at the same time it also has its direct purpose. Before eating, the napkin should be carefully folded in half and placed on your knees with the edge towards you. This will help protect your suit or dress from drips that might spill. You can also wipe your hands or lips with this napkin after eating or drinking. Hanging it by the collar, making a bib, is strictly prohibited. This is both inconvenient and very ugly. Soiled fingers are gently and imperceptibly wiped on the upper edge of the napkin, which remains on the lap. If you need to get your lips wet, the napkin is raised, however, so that it is completely in the palm of your hand, and not hanging. Blot (but do not wipe) the lips with the middle of the napkin, then it is placed back in place. It is strictly forbidden to use it as a handkerchief or towel for wet or dirty hands. Also, you can not wipe the cutlery with a napkin, looking for a speck on them. This can be great to offend the owners. If this item has fallen, you need to ask to bring a new one. At the end of the meal, the napkin is placed to the left of the plate, but never hung on the back of a chair.

About drinks

Everyone understands that proper behavior at the table is the key to a successful evening in a cultural institution. It is also important to give a few words and drinks, as well as the containers that suit them. The main thing is to remember the rule: the stronger the drink, the less capacity it needs. A glass - for vodka drinks, Madeira glass - for fortified, glasses or glasses for white and red wines, a glass or a glass - for champagne. Stronger drinks are served first, then in ascending order. The wine glasses are two-thirds full.

About kids

Etiquette is also important, because kids should also be able to behave correctly in society. However, it should be said that the rules for them will be lighter and more restrained than for adults. And no one should pay attention to the mistakes of the kids at the table special attention. However, a mother or other parent should quietly make a remark to the baby, teaching him the right behavior. What is the most important thing for children when behaving at the table? It is important that the kids know that at the table you can not talk loudly, laugh, shout. You can not talk with a full mouth, it is ugly and even harmful to the process of eating. Also, you can not champ and smack, it is unacceptable. It is necessary for the child to be told how to properly handle the napkin: it should be used to wipe dirty lips and hands, and when not needed, it should be on your knees. Also, the baby needs to be told that there are dishes that you can eat with your hands, and those for which you need to use cutlery. So, for example, french fries, shrimp, fish sticks can be taken with your hands without problems, you can also grab a cauliflower inflorescence. But this ends the list of products that are taken without appliances. For unknown reasons, babies love to eat spaghetti with their hands, but this is ugly and wrong. The kid needs to be told about this. Children should also remember that they need to stay at the table until everyone has eaten. And, of course, it is important to say “thank you” to the hosts who served. In the case of a meal in a restaurant, “thank you” is said to the head waiter. If etiquette at the table is too hard science for the crumbs, pictures can be a great help in learning. You just need to show the baby a few video tutorials or characteristic pictures, and everything will become clearer to him.