The building where I am working this week houses one of the best yum-cha in Sydney, and yesterday our manager was nice enough to take us all there for a team lunch. Now I was surprised to find (as yum-cha is not exactly fine dining) that there were beautiful white linen table napkins beside each plate. What I found even more surprising is that no one really seemed to know what to do with them – or realise that they were even there! Glancing around (and being down the lower end of the food chain) I didn’t want to be the snobby, pretentious girl who put the napkin on her lap. So I hesitated. Then I thought my grandmother would turn in her grave if she knew that I had committed a cardinal sin of table etiquette (we used to spend afternoons PRACTICING for that nights meal) – so I deftly slid offending piece of linen under the table. My manoeuvre was in fact so conspicuous that no one noticed until the end of the meal when it reappeared! It wasn’t exactly a ‘Quelle Horreur’ moment but I did get a few puzzled looks. So in order to unlock the mystery here are a few simple steps for the correct utilisation of a serviette.
1) Wait to begin the meal until your host/hostess unfolds their napkin.
2) Unfold the napkin. (If it’s a small napkin, completely open it. If it’s a large dinner napkin, keep it folded in half.) Place it on your lap.
3) Allow the waiter to place your napkin in your lap. (It’s considered perfectly polite to do this yourself)
4) Retain the napkin in your lap during the entire meal. Lift to blot your mouth if required.
5) If you must get up during the meal, place your napkin on your chair.
6) When your host/hostess puts their napkin on the table, the meal is completed.
7) Fold your napkin neatly in half/quarters, place it to the side of your plate and rise to leave the table.
Bon appetit xx
No comments:
Post a Comment