Over the Counter Etiquette
by Harold Almon baesoe.com
Be at Ease School of Etiquette Austin
My silent prayer, “Let the table conversation stay at the same decibel level as the invocation.”
The difference in cafeteria café and formal dining room is the decibel level of conversations in them. Speak with your inside soft voice.
Nothing as sweet as being able to hear yourself eat.
Let the serving begin.
Practice eating in courses versus eating in piles: soup, fish, main course, salad, and dessert.
USA Menu – Number of Courses
The current United States of America menu, no matter how formal, consists of no more than five (four) courses. You can check with the White House. Practice eating in courses over eating in piles.
The Frugal First Course – Can be an Appetizer
An appetizer can precede or substitute soup as a first course; it is essentially a hors d’oeouvre that could be served at the table usually in lieu of or prior to a first course. An amuse bouche is a bite size appetizer that might be provided by a chef at no cost to a patron. It might be paired with a wine. It cannot be ordered from a menu.
Clams, crab puffs, escargot, shrimp, oysters, or can be served as an appetizer. The plate for each can be set atop a show plate.
The oyster cocktail fork is placed to the extreme right of the last knife or spoon. It can be placed in the bowl of the soup spoon tines-up, with the handle pointed to five o'clock. An oyster cocktail fork may be placed to the extreme left of the last fork(s.) It could be placed with up to three other forks in a place setting. It is the lone exception to the rule, "only three items of any one kind in a place setting at a time. It can be placed to the right side of an underlying plate when a dish is served to a table. This is also the finished position for the fork.
Note: there are other appetizer options; some religions disallow practitioners to have any of the above foods. The only appetizers for a guest are those that can be eaten by each person being entertained.
The Frugal First Course - A Soup
As a rule, the first course is to be a soup. Grigory made and taught me to get a “Soup pot” and to enjoy a good soup.
Soup is to be served from a
Tureen with a ladle. Informally it can be served from a
Crock Pot
Acquire at least one of each.
In formal service, soup is the only course allowed to be set center a place setting, before the time people come to the table. Formally coup can be a consommé. Informally it can be Gazpacho, Miso, or Vichyssoise, each of which can be served cold.
A rimmed soup plate is to be used for soup served at a truly formal dinner. Soup can be served in a soup plate with or without being placed on an underlying plate. This plate can be set atop a show plate.
In a large group,
a cold first course can be served at each place setting before people come in to the table. This can be an exotic look for a table for two. Formally, this is correctly done only with soup.
A two handled a cream soup bowl and stand, may be used for an informal dinner. This item is omitted at a truly formal dinner.
Soup in a bowl is to be served on an underlying (bread and butter) plate.
A soup cup and saucer could be used for a casual meal. A table or place spoon is to be used for soup served in a rimmed soup plate, or in a soup bowl.
A round spoon is to be used for cream soup, (served in a cream soup bowl or plate.)
A tablespoon can be used for soup served in a soup cup.
A teaspoon may be used when only stirring is required.
Soup can be garnished with bits of almost anything, including with a bit of another soup. It can be topped with a dollop of classic mustard.
It may be served with oyster cocktail crackers. Informally oyster cocktail crackers can be served in a bowl with a small ice scoop. Soup can be served in a mug, or a bowl with an underline plate. Folks can add as many oyster cocktail crackers as they wish.
It could be served with saltine crackers. Crackers can be placed on a small plate. Crackers may be placed on each underlying plate. Avoid serving soup with a club cracker.
Soup can be served with croutons.
Soup might be served with a relish tray. It can include pickled or marinated carrots, cauliflower, celery, gherkins, mushrooms, olives, or and with radishes.
Informally, it can be preceded or replaced by a plate or tray of crudités: raw vegetables. You can get most items from the salad bar. Each may be placed on each underlying plate. Here I use French dressing as a drizzle or a mini dip.
Sherry has been seen served with a soup course.
Pour the wine. Sherry could be omitted.
Frugal Soup course suggestions are
A’s Soup (from $2.00 and up,) a favorite of Janet’s, Hearty Spanish Rice with Red Beans, “So good you can eat it right out of the can.” You may have
Chili
Chile with Beans
Clam chowder
or New England clam chowder, (red color)
You could have:
Cheese and Broccoli
Consommé
Cream of Chicken
Cream of Mushroom or
Cream of Tomato. Get Creamy Tomato Soup in a box when you are entertaining.
Lentil soup can be your best frugal bang for the buck.
Become familiar with pre-made box soups. Keep soups in a box. If you feel hungry, have a bowl as a first course cold or hot. It you are still hungry, add some more food to the fire, why not.
Remove the First Course and serve the Next Course.
Frugally speaking soup suggestions may include wheat grain noodles by Ramen. Each Ramen soup can be the soup of the day when you have little time, money, and just a hair of cooking skills. For spices, you can use the packet of ingredients that came with it. You may use your own medley of spices. Frugal tip: left over’s go in Ramen.
Containers are your friend. Get Zip-loc microwaveable glass containers with snap on tops. Ramen can be prepared in a four inch plastic container or the equivalent ceramic bowl. It may be crushed or left whole. Small shelled pasta or organic Ramen type noodles can be used instead of Ramen. Ramen is to be cooked for nine to twelve minutes. It becomes a whole new dish. You can use two packages and have built in leftovers in half the time. What to do:
1) Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices, ingredients, and EVVO to taste. Cover the contents with water. Nuke it for nine to twelve minutes. You can test it at ten minutes. It may be covered with water and allowed to rise, then cooked, and it becomes a side dish.
2) You can use an electric or non-electric tea pot and boil water. Placed ramen in a microwavable bowl. Add water, and add spices and other ingredients to taste, and let it steep (cook) for nine to twelve minutes.
3) You can boil the noodles, drain them, and then add the other stuff.
Ramen and Cheese Soup
What to do
1) Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Cover the contents with water.
2) Add Squeeze Cheese in a plastic bottle or Nacho cheese from a snack cup. Add Jalapeño juice and chopped jalapeno if you want.
As an alternate cheese soup, place Ramen in a microwavable bowl. Add a capful of Kens Blue Cheese dressing to it.
3) Nuke it for twelve minutes. You can test it at ten minutes. It may be covered with water and allowed to rise, then cooked, and rested, and it becomes a side dish.
As Alternate Cheese Soup, get M Cheddar Cheese soup. Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add Kens Blue Cheese dressing to this style noodle mix. Nuke it for twelve minutes. You might want you use a tad less water and serve this as a side dish.
Ramen and Condensed Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Cover the contents with water. Cook noodles for seven minutes. Do not drain. Add condensed soup to taste. Let steep or cook for five to eight minutes.
You can cook soup as instructed on each package or can. Mix together and season to taste. This can be done with
Cream of Chicken or you can use
Cream of Chicken instant soup packets, Add pickled Jalapeño juice and chopped jalapeno if you want. This is a comfort food (Thanks Janet.) You may serve:
Cream of Cheese and Broccoli
Cream of Mushroom
Cream of Shrimp or
Cream of Tomato (to which I add small shrimp, especially at Halloween; Add sour cream, and call it ‘mattos and maggots, and watch it disappear. You could omit the Raman. Thanks Autie.) Have Oyster cocktail crackers guest can load on top.
Ramen Consommé
When you have got some time, you could cook this soup.
What to do
Bring all ingredients to boil. Reduce and simmer for thirty minutes. Strain and save liquid. Add noodles and steep for five to eight minutes.
This is added as it could be a first dish, for people who really cook in something other than a microwave oven.
Ramen and Meat Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Buy meats and divide it into individual portions sliced or diced and put it in containers. You can use
Chicken rotisserie leftovers
Chile w/o beans
Clams, not for everyone
Salmon, shrimp or Tuna (canned) may be added with the Holy Trinity of ingredients.
Shrimp, but can be added to Cream of Tomato Soup.
Wieners could be added but why? Place a portion of selected meat in the bowl. Cover the contents with water.
What to do: Cook noodles and meat together.
Optional: Add Worcestershire sauce.
Add Chicken stock or Beef stock; buy some, you can use each a lot.
Ramen and Peanut Butter Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl.
Add one (or two tablespoons of peanut butter creamy or chunky with or without a dab of olive oil (if you have some.) Cover with water. Cook for twelve minutes. Check it at ten minutes, ymmm.
Try it. You may like it a lot.
A variation of the theme
Ramen and Baked Beans, Refried Beans, or peas. Each provides fiber and makes a complete protein.
Ramen Salad Dressing Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Cover the contents with water.
1) You can add a capful of Italian Dressing or Zesty Italian.
2) Nuke it for twelve minutes. You can test it at ten minutes.
It may be covered with water and allowed to rise, cooked, and then rest and it becomes a side dish.
As an alternate to step
1) You may add one or two capfuls of Blue Cheese dressing. It is divine. (I repeat myself.)
2) Parmesan cheese can be used as a Step 1, or as a soup topping.
Ramen Salsa and or Picante Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Cover the contents with water. Add some Salsa or Picante and stir it in. You could add freshly snipped sun dried tomatoes.
What to do: Cook noodles and the tomato based sauce together. Yes you may use a sauce Marinara.
You can add other vegetables to this mix.
Ramen and Vegetable Soup
What to do
Place it in a microwavable bowl. Add spices and ingredients to taste. Cover the contents with water.
You can omit the package spices. Buy large bags or frozen vegetable and use portions as needed.
Buy soup starter kits, as needed, you can microwave the bits.
Canned vegetables keep fresh until opened. Each can be containerized and reopened when needed, a portioned used and the rest sealed back.
Peas, Corn, Carrots, Celery, and Onion can be bought. You can buy celery one stalk at a time. The Cooking Spice Holy Trinity: makes all things taste better.
What to do:
Cook noodles and vegetable together.
Vegetables Soup w/o Ramen
What to do You know what to do.
You could make a signature Salmon Bisque or Vichyssoise (Potato) Tuber soup. Each can be nutrient dense.
You can become the soup baron, and become beloved for just occasionally mastering and sharing a soup or crock pot. This too is cooking so I will speak only little of it.
My Palate® Almon Hitt - Soup No MSG Low Sodium
Cream of (Co) -S
Co Cheese
Co Cheese & Broccoli
Co Tomato Bisque Clam Chowder
New England Clam Chowder
Co Salmon Bisque Co Chicken
Co Mushroom
Co Potato
Potato Soup Vichyssoise-S Co Celery
Barley Vegetable
Lentil
Miso
Gazpacho
Chicken
Chicken Stars
Chili
Minestrone
Vegetable Beef
Vegetarian Vegetable
Pasta Soup
Pasta Soup Ramen (r)+
R+Blue Cheese Dressing-S
R+ Cheese-S
R+ Peanut Butter
R+ Salmon
R+ Shrimp
R+ Tuna
R+ Salsa Picante or Meat Sauce
R+ Chili
R+ Meat
R+ Wieners
R+ Chicken Leftovers
R+ Condensed Soup
R+ Veggies
R Consommé
R+Italian Dressing-S
R Soup Snack - Cold
Consommé
R JH Pate
Soup Fresh and Vegetables in Season when you can
My Palate® Almon Hitt - Soup Accompaniments
Sherry
Croutons
Oyster Cocktail Crackers
Saltine Clackers
Relish Tray
Alternate First course:
Fruit Juice or
Melon
The Frugal Wine List
In a commercial service, the line to the food can be preceded by the line to frugal wine. In commercial service, a host most certainly will be asked.” Would you like to see our wine list?” After reading a reusable wine list guess what a host may ask, “Where can I wash may hand,” And take a visit to station Six: the bathroom.
Sometimes a bottle of personal wine can be given to a server and served for a corkage fee. Part of a tip may be a taste of it left for the server by the host.
The bottle for each may or may not be wrapped in a napkin.
Dinner for wine you can served
D1 Sherry, Sherry has been seen served with a soup course. A sherry glass is to be set in formation to the right of the last wine glass. Pour wine the wine. It can be filled half-full, without being lifted from the table. Sherry could be omitted.
D2 Wine White Fish
D3 Wine Red Meat
D3 Cabernet Sauvignon
D3 Red Merlot
D3 Wine White Poultry
D4 Champagne Dessert
The Frugal First Course Fruit Juice
Fruit juice could be served as a first course, especially at lunch. The juice glass, or saucer champagne glass is set on an underlying (bread and butter) plate and set center a place setting, two to three inches above the edge of the table.
The plate for the course might be set atop a show plate.
Suggestions are: Organic Sparking Cider:
Apple Grape or White Grape
Cranberry juice
Sparkling Italian Pomegranate juice and/or
Tomato juice
The Frugal First Course Melon
Melon might be used as a first course. Melon is to be served on a dessert plate with or without an underlying plate.
The plate for the course has been seen set atop a show plate. It can be set in a bowl atop an underlying plate.
When melon is unpeeled, in a skin, in halves, or in quarters, it is to be served with a spoon. . Each can be made into balls with a melon baller; formally called a Parisienne scoop. Melon balls (marinated or not) can be served in a Martini glass atop an underlying plate. Each can be sliced into chunks. It can be served with a fork alone when presented in cubes.
Prior to cutting melon rinse it off with water and vinegar.
Suggestions are:
Cantaloupe
Honeydew or
Watermelon
The Frugal First Course Salad
In extremely informal parts of the United States, salad has been seen served, as a first course placed center the place setting. This is an observation more than a recommendation.
Salad has been seen placed to the left of the place fork, with or without the fork for the first course. This setting is seen in a commercial banquet setting, or in an extremely informal home. It shows that the first course is to be eaten with the place fork.
When salad is to be served as a first course, cheese is to be omitted. It could be topped with animal protein. Salad (with a cheese) is correctly served after the main course. In polite society salad is to be a frugal fourth course, eaten with the third fork.
