Manners for Girls
Manners for Young Ladies teaches young girls the social etiquette, table manners and personal style that inspire self-confidence.
Manners for Boys
Manners for Young Men teaches the social skills and table manners.
Manners for Teens
Manners for Teens can help your teenager meet life's challenges with confidence by teaching them social skills, etiquette and personal style. |
Corporate Seminars
Etiquette Saint Louis will customize a business etiquette seminar or workshop for your company.
Our seminars can help your company to improve teamwork, polish your corporate image and improve the quality of your work environment.
Consultant Training
Melenie Broyles, of Etiquette Saint Louis, created a training organization called The Manners Partnership. The Manners Partnership offers training to individuals who desire to be the crème de la crème of the manners industry.
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Manners to Bring to the Thanksgiving Table
October 2023
With Halloween behind us, many of us are about to enter full on Christmas mode. However, we must not forget that Thanksgiving falls on the last Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving brings families and friends together as we share a big meal and reflect on gratitude as the year draws to a close. Whether you spend the day cooking food or watching football, table manners play a big role in this holiday. Let’s brush up on some of them before Thanksgiving comes in a few weeks.
The Basics
Let us first address the things you might already know. Here’s a running list:
- When you first sit down, you should always put your napkin in your lap.
- Your elbows, arms, wrists, and hands should not rest on the table.
- You should chew with your mouth closed and avoid talking with food in your mouth.
- Phones should be stowed away, and you should engage in conversation with the people at the table.
- If you have multiple utensils, you always start from the outside and work your way in.
These are a few basic manners to review before any meal, including your Thanksgiving meal.
Setting The Table
When it comes to setting the table, there are a few tips to remember where everything goes in each place setting.
Obviously, your plate goes in the center. However, how do you know where the utensils go? Fork and left have four letters, so your forks will go on the left. Knife, spoon, and right have five letters, so your knives and spoons should always go on the right. The dessert utensil rests across the top of the plate.
Finally, your drink glass goes to the top right of your plate. We apologize to our left-handed friends out there, but at no point should your drink glass rest on the upper left side of the place setting.
You will be able to set the table with ease by abiding by these tricks and remembering these fundamental rules.
Small Details that Still Matter
There are a few small details you might not know about, but they make a big difference in table setting and table management.
First of all, your knife blades face in when they are resting on the table. This comes from a medieval tradition claiming that pointing your knife blade at your neighbor was a sign of aggression.
You should also pass all food to the right. This will help you avoid that awkward traffic jam of bowls and baskets of hot food.
Also, salt and pepper shakers should always travel together, even if someone just asks you for one or the other. This way, when someone requests both condiments at the same time, they only must ask one person for them rather than two.
Finally, if when you get up from the table at any point, you should rest your napkin to the left of your plate on the table. This not only gives uniformity, but it also enforces cleanliness. By placing your napkin on the table, rather than the chair, you avoid getting food on the chair that could stain the chair or your clothing when you sit back down in it.
Conversation Topics to Avoid
Thanksgiving brings many people together, which means there are a lot of personalities combining in one small space. To keep the peace, there are a few conversation topics to avoid. These include politics, religion, money and gossip.
Talking about money and gossip should be completely avoided, no matter who you are with. These topics are hurtful and completely unnecessary.
There’s a small caveat with religion and politics, though. If you know the group of people you are with share your views on these topics, then it is safe to talk about them in a way that encourages good conversation where all parties agree. However, it is not polite to make comments to insight people and make them uncomfortable.
Overall, good conversation can keep the peace between multiple people in a setting that can be anxiety-inducing for some people.
Come to the table prepared with these etiquette tips and tricks as we enter a season of gratitude, togetherness, and lots of time spent at the table with the ones we love. |
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