How to use a knife and fork
When attending a formal banquet, I often find that the tableware is baffled and looks like a combat team. I don't know where to start, and I feel afraid. Dessert tableware can be placed at the front of the seat or on the inside of the right hand side. Sometimes the waiter will bring dessert with a fork spoon, so you don't have to worry. If you decide to put the dessert tableware horizontally at the front of the plate, please put the fork near the edge of the plate (the fork tip is facing right) and then put the spoon (the spoon recess is facing left). In addition, dessert tableware may not only include forks and spoons, but also other auxiliary appliances. If there is a fork without a spoon or a spoon without a fork, don't worry. You can use other tableware instead, and you will still be a competent host. Most people don't have many kinds of knives, forks and spoons at home, but there are always ways to improvise, such as: 1, salad fork can be used to eat fish, salad or dessert. 2. The lunch fork (one size smaller than the dinner fork) is also widely used and can be used as a salad fork. 3, fruit knife can be used as a cheese or dessert knife. 4. steak knife can be used as a dessert knife. 5. A teaspoon can be used as a dessert spoon. In fact, the use of knives and forks is wrong, probably because the waiter didn't put them in the right place, or because of the guests' own negligence. For example, once I attended a dinner party where the service must be very formal. At that time, the first course was a fresh pear cup. I picked up the spoon without thinking. In fact, the correct way should be to use the small fork on the left, so when the cream dessert was served, I had to use the remaining small fork. To make matters worse, every guest at the same table imitated me and thought I knew what to do. Finally, I had to ask the waiter for help and ask him to bring us unused spoons. The general rule of using knives, forks and spoons is from the outside to the inside, that is, the outermost tableware is used for the first course, and then the order is pushed inward until everything is used. 1. The most correct posture for holding a knife at a knife banquet is to hold the handle with your thumb pressed against the side of the handle and your forefinger pressed against the back of the handle. Don't put your index finger on the back of the knife, because you can't put your index finger on the back of the knife except for dishes that can be cut with great force or the knife is too blunt; In addition, don't straighten your little finger and bring a knife, especially for women who think this posture is elegant, but it is wrong. Knives are used to cut food. Don't use knives to stir up food and send it to your mouth. Remember: knife in your right hand. If there are three kinds of knives with different specifications at the same time when eating, the correct usage is: the one with small serrations is used to cut meat and make food; Medium size is used to cut large pieces of vegetables into small pieces; And that kind of small knife with a round tip and some upturned top is used to cut the bun, and then use it to pick some jam and cream to spread on it. When cutting food, sink your elbows and don't leave the table. This will make the other person think that your eating is terrible, and the food being cut may fly out! 2. There are two ways to hold the fork: the back side up and the inner side up, depending on the situation. Holding the back side up is the same as that of a knife. Press the back of the handle with the index finger, and hold the handle with the other four fingers. The tip of the index finger is roughly at the root of the handle. If it is too forward, the appearance is not good, and if it is too backward, it is not easy to push hard, so hard food is not easy to fork in. When the inside of the fork is facing upward, press the handle with your thumb and forefinger as a pencil, and the other three fingers support the lower part of the handle; Press your thumb and forefinger in the center of the handle. If you are too forward, you will be clumsy. Hold the fork in your left hand, with the fork teeth facing down, and fork up the food and send it to your mouth. If you eat soft food such as noodles or peas, the fork teeth can face up. Move lightly, pick up the right amount of food and put it in your mouth at one time. Don't drag a large piece, take a bite and then put it down. This is indecent. When the fork picks up the food and enters the mouth, the teeth only touch the food. Don't bite the fork, and don't let the knife and fork sound on the teeth or the plate. When eating large vegetables, you can fold and cut them with a knife and fork. Soft food can be placed on the fork plane and tidied up with a knife. 3. Spoons In formal occasions, there are many kinds of spoons, the small ones are used for coffee and dessert; Flat for buttering and sharing cakes; Larger, used to drink soup or hold small food; The biggest one is for sharing soup, which is common in buffets. Make no mistake. Spoons and dessert spoons must not directly scoop other staple foods and dishes except soup and dessert; Do not insert the spoon into the dish, and do not let it stand upright in dessert, soup or coffee. Don't put the whole spoon in your mouth when eating. In most cases, you don't need to waste your breath when eating western food. Every move at the table tells the service staff your intention, and the trained waiter will serve you according to your wishes and meet your requirements. This is the "knife and fork language". 1, Continue to eat: Open the knife and fork in a triangle, which indicates that you want to continue to eat, and the waiter will not take your plate away. 2, the result of the meal: and when you put the tableware on the edge of the plate, even if you still have something in the plate, the waiter thinks that you have finished eating and will take the plate away at the appropriate time. 3. Please add more food for me: the plate is empty, but you still want to eat. Open the knife and fork in a figure of eight, and the waiter will add more food for you. Note: It is only applicable at parties where meals are allowed to be added or when eating the dish that may be added. If there is only one dish for each dish, you don't need to put the tableware like this. 4. I have had a good meal: when the plate is empty and you no longer want to have a meal, put the knife and fork parallel and obliquely, then the waiter will take your plate away at the right time. The use of knives and forks Chopsticks are the main tools used by orientals when eating, while westerners use knives and forks when eating. When eating, the plate is in the middle, so the knife and spoon are placed on the right side of the plate and the fork is placed on the left. Generally, people who write with their right hands naturally hold a knife or spoon with their right hand, a fork with their left hand and a cup with their right hand when drinking western food. How to treat "left-handed"? If we know that one of the guests is holding a knife with his left hand, we can't help putting the knife and fork in the right place for him when setting the table. This not only shows our respect for him, but also shows our thoughtful and meticulous service. 1, put knives and forks on the table, generally no more than three pairs. For a set meal with more than three courses, you must put a new knife and fork with the serving after you use them. 2. Knives and forks are used in order from the outside to the inside (that is to say, they are placed from the outside to the inside in advance according to the order of use). When eating, the left and right hands usually cooperate with each other, that is, one knife and one fork are used in pairs. Some exceptions, when drinking soup, just put the spoon on the right-hold the spoon with your right hand. Raw oysters are generally eaten with an oyster fork in the right hand. 3. Knife and fork have different specifications, and their sizes are different according to different uses. When eating meat, whether you want to cut it with a knife or not, use a large knife. When eating salads, sweets or some appetizers, use a medium knife, fork or spoon, which generally varies with the size of the knife. When drinking soup, use a large spoon, while when drinking coffee and eating ice cream, use a small one. Don't use your own tableware to serve vegetables 1, vegetables, scooping soup or selecting other foods for others. When eating western food, everyone has his own tableware. If everyone can take it from the big plate for dinner, then there must be a spare public fork or spoon for everyone to use. 2. Pay attention when using a fork: you can't stick a fork into the food entrance, but you should shovel the food into the entrance. When Americans eat meat, they sometimes cut it into pieces with a knife and then send it into their mouths with a fork. Europeans, on the other hand, usually eat while cutting, and shovel them up and send them into their mouths. If you don't need a knife to eat a dish, you can also hold the fork with your right hand. For example, when Italians eat noodles, they only use one fork and don't need other tableware, so it is simple and convenient to hold the fork with their right hand. If there are no large pieces of meat to cut, such as vegetarian dishes, just vegetables and non-staple foods that don't need to be cut, then it is reasonable to eat with the fork in your right hand. Don't tell me what to do when holding a knife and fork in your hand. When speaking or talking, it is polite to put the knife and fork on the plate. While eating at the table, we should enjoy the delicious food, and at the same time, of course, everyone should have a good talk. But don't talk about it with your knife and fork in your hand, don't hold it upright in your hand, and don't laugh or make a loud noise, which will make people feel scared. In fact, this dangerous move is indeed a threat to people and themselves. 4. Forks and spoons can be put into the mouth, but knives can't be put into the mouth, whether there is food on it or not. Etiquette requirements have their reasons, and the knife entrance is also dangerous. If you attend a formal banquet, the hostess spreads a napkin on her lap as a sign that the banquet begins. The napkin implies the beginning and end of the banquet. In the west, there is a principle that ladies are the first. The hostess is the first order at the western banquet. If the hostess doesn't sit, others can't sit. The hostess spreads the napkin on her lap, which means that everyone can start. On the contrary, the hostess will put the napkin on the table, which marks the end of the party. When you start eating, don't take too much food. If the food on the plate is not enough, you can take it again. Before eating, you should open the napkin and spread it on your lap. After eating, you should fold it on the right side of the plate. You should not put it on the chair, nor should you be mistaken for unused. Napkins can wipe your mouth, not your sweat. If the food is divided by the waiter, it will be taken when the waiter delivers it when it needs to be added. In case of dishes that I can't eat or don't like, when the waiter serves the food, the host should not gesture or refuse, but put a small amount on the plate and say "thank you, that's enough." Don't look embarrassed about the dishes that don't taste good. At the cold reception, when the waiter serves, don't rush to get it, and then get it when it is delivered to me. When people around you don't get the first copy, don't rush to get the second copy. Don't gather around the food table, take it and leave so that others can eat it. The other party is the host, so it is not appropriate for us as the invited party to take the initiative to give up. Eat politely, chew with your mouth closed, don't sip when drinking soup, and don't make a noise when eating. If the soup is too hot, let it cool before eating, and don't blow it with your mouth. Don't spit the fishbones and bones in your mouth directly. Cover your mouth with a napkin and take them out by hand, or spit them lightly on a fork and put them in a dish. When eating food, you should eat it with your mouth, not with your mouth. Don't stretch your elbows wide. Don't talk with food in your mouth. When picking your teeth, cover your mouth with your hand or napkin. Don't pick your teeth while walking. Leftover dishes, used tableware and toothpicks should be put on the plate, not on the table.