Eating Continental Style Casual and Fine Dining Etiquette Professional and College & University Dining Etiquette

Get Etiquette Outclass the Competition
by Harold Almonbaesoe.com
Be at Ease School of Etiquette Austin

When Eating Continental style

1. The place fork and knife are to be grasped handles in the palm of the left and right hand, index fingers along the backs of both handles.

When a food item is to be cut, the fork is picked up in the left hand. The tines are to be placed face down and are used to impale the item to be cut. The knife blade is to be set in front of the tip of the fork without touching it.

Let the cutting begin; to affect a cut the blade is pressed down on the item with pressure, enough to cut the item, and flexed towards the fork, and then drawn toward the edge of the table with one or two strokes all in one direction. It can be flexed towards the fork again to complete the item separation. This process may be repeated as required. Cutting is to be done only  in one direction.

 Eating Continental Style – after the food item is cut, the knife is to remain in the right hand. Next, with the fork tines face down,

 a. Load: impale or place the food item onto the back of the fork tines with the knife.

 b. Lock: bring the fork to the work area: bottom third of the plate. Hold it in place for an extended second or draw it to the side of the plate.

 c. Lift: turn the wrist in and upward and take the item to the mouth.

2. After the food item is eaten the knife remains in the right hand, unless it is placed in the rest position for it: knife handle pointed to four o'clock. The fork remains in the left hand throughout the meal, unless it is placed in the rest position for it: fork handle at eight o’clock, tines over the knife blade.

3. You can take a hand rest often. Keep both of your hands on the table: wrists on or above the table edge, and your napkin on your lap. The rest position allows you to take in conversation, to chew, to eat a piece of bread, and to blot your mouth with a napkin prior to taking a drink of water or wine.

4. For a non-main dish item, the knife is correctly used as to push or to pull food onto the back of the fork and to press it down to one side. Then with the wrist turned up, the fork can be used to balance the food item to be taken to the mouth.

5. The finished position for the fork is tines down, center the plate handle pointed to four o'clock. The finished position for the knife is to the right of the fork with the blade edge facing towards it. The fork can be placed tines down to the right side of the plate, handle pointed toward the edge of the table. The knife is to be placed to the right side of it, rested on the edge of the plate.

6. The fork or spoon when used alone is to be held in the right hand tines or bowl up.

In the rest and the finished position, each is placed diagonally center the plate tines or bowl up handle pointed to four o'clock (in the ten twenty position.) In the finished position each can be placed to the right side of the plate handles pointed to six o'clock.

7. Pace yourself. Caution – This style is quieter and more efficient. It can allow you to finish very fast. Take your time. “Can I take that for you?” can be code for, “You ate that way too fast.

8. You can eat in a style indicated by your host. You can also be very polished at it.