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Vashi2Panvel.com: Navi Mumbai: August 18: We often tend to forget some basic etiquettes at the dinner table and make an embarrassing situation for ourselves. And, if you’re the host of the day, you need to be extra cautious of the nitty-gritty of dining together. Here are some easy to remember (and easy to forget) tips to impress your date/boss/colleagues/friends! Read on…

If you thought chivalry is passé, you could be dead wrong. Forget the arguments on “equality” et al, at the dining table women always get the first priority! So, always seat ladies first. If you are out with your committee members or your boss, offer them the seat first.

Many of us have the habit of constantly fidgeting with the table napkin, ‘serviette’. NEVER do that. Simply unfold it with a ‘swish’ in the air and place it on your lap.

Prefer a buffet but in case you need to serve, you must follow the ‘ladies first’ funda!

Those with the gift of gab must be rather cautious at the dining table. It is always advisable to be quiet while eating. Chewing noisily and talking while eating are habits you must never cultivate. You will only end up irritating the people at the table with such noisy habits!

In case you require talking over the table, do it softly. Avoid making any gestures or hand movements holding a spoon in your hand. It doesn’t pass the right signals.

After you have finished eating, place the cutleries such that they form a cross and leave it on the plate. If you want to take a break before the next serving, place your cutleries parallel to each other.

Never show any kind of impatience after you’ve finished eating. Let everyone finish and leave the table together. If you’re the host, never get up until every one has finished. Finally, leave your chair only after every one is ready to leave.

Niharika Pandey
The writer is a Hotel Management graduate from Nagpur University