Questions Answered

A lot of people have asked lovelymanners several questions this week, so I thought this would be a good time to start answering them.  One of the first questions someone had was about eating soup - so before I answer I had to share one of my favorite videos that I love showing to kids when I start my Table Manners workshops - watch this one:



So finishing the question about soup.....spooning the soup away from you may seem strange - but that's the right way to do it.  It's actually not as easy to spill any in your lap when you do it that way.  And surprisingly, it IS ok to get that last little bit by tipping the bowl toward you for those last few drops - just remember to keep spooning away from you in the other direction. (And of course, please no slurping!)

A second question that has come up is what you should do with your fork,
knife, or spoon in a restaurant or at a dinner party once they have been used and more courses are on the way.  The rule to remember: DO NOT PUT DIRTY OR USED UTENSILS DIRECTLY ON THE TABLE - EVER!  So, if you have a bread plate, you can place the utensils there after using them.  If you don't have an extra plate, you will have to put the utensils on the plate you've just used and the server will take it all away.  Then it's up to the server or your host to bring clean utensils to you for the next course.

Another question that came up this week is how to practice good manners on an airplane.  Two complaints:  One is that people are not always very understanding if they need to share space in the overhead compartment. If someone REALLY says "no" to you if you ask if you can move their things in the overhead over a little bit (and this did just happen to the person who asked), you need to be as assertive but as kind as possible and explain to them what you need and ask if they could please understand where you're coming from.  Of course, I would have the tendency to just stare them down with an evil eye and say, "BE NICE!" but that may not always be the best rule to follow. Although, I do have to say that this does work sometimes. If I feel someone is being overly rude, it does make them think twice when I say to them, "You really don't need to be so rude!" or "Think about what you sound like right now." And I have to admit I have done that on more than one occasion.  But it's probably better to start off by at least trying to have a pleasant conversation with them and ask them to understand your situation.  Another person asked me to comment on the correct way to exit from the rows on an airplane.  Please exit as you would in a theater, a church, a synagogue, etc - let one row exit at a time....it should be an orderly exit with everyone taking turns and allowing the people in front of you to exit first.

Another concern that came up this week is something we can talk about next week.....the topic was about people not acknowledging other people when walking into a room.  Just remember the phrase "BE NICE" and have a great week!  (If you've ever driven behind me, you know exactly what I'm talking about!)