Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 20, 1991 TAG: 9103190176
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUSAN LADD/ LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
No, it's a lot more serious than that.
The ugly truth is that most young professionals don't even know how to butter a dinner roll.
We were shocked, too.
The horrid deficiencies that exist in dining etiquette were revealed in a recent survey by Fitz and Floyd, the china and giftware manufacturer that provided china for the west wing of the White House for the Reagan and Bush administrations.
It found that 45 percent of young professionals didn't know how to butter a dinner roll correctly, that 55 percent didn't know what to do with their napkin when they left the table, and 23 percent didn't know what to do with their silverware after finishing a meal.
"It's because they were brought up on fast food and plastic forks," says Patti Key, who teaches etiquette classes at Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, N.C. "We went through a period of making fun of three forks and finger bowls."
The survey bears Key out: 73 percent of respondents said they received no training other than basic table manners from their mothers.
Author Letitia Baldrige blames it on television advertising. "A good food is touted because everyone is licking their fingers afterward, or because a child successfully grabs a treasured food off his father's plate when the father isn't looking," she writes in "The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette."
Jackie Sharpe, 29, director of educational services at the Greensboro YWCA, has taught several etiquette classes for children. Though most adults display acceptable dining habits, Sharpe says, it never hurts to brush up on the basics.
"It really is easy to slip up," Sharpe says. "When people go to nice restaurants or social functions, they need to watch themselves. It can become confusing when you have all these forks which you don't use at home. How important it is depends on the crowd you're with."
If it's a business crowd, manners can be quite important, says Fitz and Floyd Public Information Director Jim Shade.
"Good manners create an image of self-confidence and ability," Shade says. "Bad manners can ruin even the best image in an instant."
Test your knowledge of good dining etiquette against the venerable Amy Vanderbilt guide to see how you measure up:
How's your etiquette?
1. At the end of the meal, used silverware is placed:
a) on the table, b) on the plate, c) on the napkin.
2. When leaving the table temporarily, the dinner napkin should be placed:
a) on the table, b) on the chair, c) on the plate.
3. At the end of the meal, the dinner napkin should be placed:
a) on the table, b) on the chair, c) on the plate.
4. It is acceptable to tip soup or dessert dishes to spoon up the last bit.
a) true, b) false.
5. The pinkie finger should be extended when holding a teacup.
a) true, b) false.
6. Large stemmed glasses should always be held by the stem.
a) true, b) false.
7. Shaking salt and pepper on food before tasting it is rude.
a) true, b) false.
8. Using bread to push the food onto your fork is rude.
a) true, b) false.
9. Bad food, such as meat gristle or fish bones, should be discreetly spat into a napkin.
a) true, b) false.
10. If you drop a piece of food on the table, you should:
a) pick it up and put it back on your plate, b) move your plate over the offending spot, c) discreetly brush it off the table.
11. If food becomes wedged in your teeth during the meal, it is acceptable to remove it with a toothpick at the table.
a) true, b) false.
12. It is improper to burp at the table.
a) true, b) false.
13. You should never, ever, put your elbows on the table.
a) true, b) false.
14. Bacon is always a finger food.
a) true, b) false.
15. The correct way to butter a dinner roll is:
a) to smear butter across the top, b) to cut the roll in half and butter each side, c) to break off bite-size pieces and butter each bite individually.
Questions based on "The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette," revised and expanded by Letitia Baldrige.
Answers
1. b) used silverware should be placed on the plate side-by-side, fork tines up and sharp side of knife facing in, so they do not slide off the plate as it is being removed.
2. b) the dinner napkin should be placed on the arm or the seat of one's chair when leaving the table temporarily.
3. a) At the end of the meal, the dinner napkin should be loosely folded to conceal any soil, and placed on the table.
4. a) It is acceptable to tip a bowl or dish, provided that you tip the dish away from you, not toward you.
5. b) false. A handled cup is held with the index finger through the handle, the thumb just above it to support the grip, and the second finger below the handle for added security.
6. b) false. Large-stemmed water or wine goblets are held with the thumb and first two fingers at the base of the bowl. These glasses should only be held by the stem when they contain chilled white wine or red wine, so as not to heat the wine with one's fingers.
7. a) true. It is an insult to the cook, professional or not, and is considered improper at home, at someone else's home, or in a restaurant.
8. b) false. This custom, which originated in Europe, is acceptable when dealing with difficult food, such as errant peas.
9. b) false. Never spit food into a napkin. The food should rolled back onto the fork or spoon with the tongue, placed back on the plate, and hidden under another piece of food.
10. a) Spilled food should be picked up with a fork or knife and placed on the side of your plate.
11. b) false. It is unacceptable to try to remove food from your teeth while sitting at the table regardless of what implement you use. Go to the rest room and take care of the problem.
12. b) false. If you feel a burp coming on, cover your mouth and nose with a napkin to muffle the sound, and say, "Excuse me." If you continue to burp, however, leave the table.
13. b) false. Elbows on the table are permissible between courses, but not while one is eating.x 14. b) false. Very crisp bacon may be eaten with the fingers if breaking it with fork would scatter bits everywhere. But bacon with any vestige of fat should be eaten with knife and fork.
15. c) Rolls should be broken into bite-sized pieces and buttered individually.
by CNB