Have you ever been at the dinner table and have been unsure what to do next? What fork to use? How to hold the glass? Where to put your napkin? Oliver Mims illustrates the ease of mastering table manners.

Video Transcription

Eating and Drinking are not only necessities, the pleasures that people like to enjoy together. Poor manners at the table, one should overcome, it's a must. Slip shot behavior is embarrassing for you and for those with whom you are eating. Proper table manners is a matter of knowing the rules, most of which are based on commonsense, consideration, quite efficiency and as much grace as possible. Proper table manners are rather simple once you understand the sequence of the courses from the corresponding plate settings. The first thing one should do when sitting at a table is place the napkin on one's lap. Never flap or pop the napkin open. It is indeed proper to eat dry food such as bread with your fingers, no matter how formal the dinner. If bread or any other finger food is more than a bite size, tear it into a smaller piece, and the place the remaining portion on your bread plate. By Jove! never butter entire piece of bread. Buttering only one mouth size piece at a time ensures you are not wasteful, and shows consideration to the over guests. Once finished with the butter knife, place it on the bread plate at the right, with the blade facing the center. Informal tables are typically set with at least two glasses, most likely with three, the water goblet, white wine glass and red wine glass. The glass with the largest bowl is for water. White wine glasses have a narrowest on the table, unless there is a champagne flute. Red wine glasses have a round or wide bowl, which gives the wine a chance to breathe. Red wine glasses are held with a thumb and the first two fingers of the base of the bowl. White wine, as with all chilled drinks in a stemmed glass, is held at the stem. This is done to prevent your hand from warming the chilled wine, and the Brandy Snifters are held in the palm to warm the liquor. In drinking at the table, a sip is never taken until the mouth is empty and has been wiped clean. In the informal plate setting, there is only one spoon that is placed on the light side of the plate and two forks placed to the left. If you find yourself to dinner with more than one spoon or two forks, follow the simple rule that applies to all formalities of dinner with regard to utensils, outside in. Start with the implement farthest away from the plate and progress toward the center of each course. The soup spoon is always filled with emotion away from the table edge. Soup should be sipped from the side of the spoon. Tipping of the bowl is acceptable if the bowl is too away from the spoon, not toward the eater. When using your fork and knife in tendon, there are two correct methods. With the American style, the knife is used with the right hand while cutting, and the fork is switched to the right-hand to lift the cut piece to the mouth, tines facing upward. When using the Continental eating style, you keep your fork in your left hand and convey the food to your mouth, tines down after cutting each piece. When one has finished eating, the fork and knife, laid side by side across the middle of the plate. Fork tines up and knife plate facing the fork. Avoid emotional and unpleasant conversation at the dinner table, as it hinders good digestion. Never put a used napkin on the table unless you have to rise. If you are finished with your meal, keep the napkin in your lap until the plates are cleared. If you do rise, never put the napkin on your plates or chair. Neatly place the napkin to the right of your plate. Proper. All original shows, all in HD from Onnetworks.com.