JOIN USEating out with your near and dear ones is surely not an occasion to behave formally. However, sidelining basic dining etiquette may put off others on the table, especially when accompanied by guests.
The word etiquette is thrown immediately when talking about fine dining. Of late, more and more people have started visiting fine dining restaurants but how often do they score on dining etiquettes?
According to fine dining restaurants in the City, there has been a significant change in the profile of people, who are appreciably good at table etiquette.
Rudra Pratap Singh, VP, operations, Alchemist Hospitality, says, “In the last few years, the profile of people coming to dine has changed significantly.
“We have people who have travelled to various parts of the world and that reflects in their table etiquette too. They are very comfortable at the dining table and informed about its etiquette too.”
However, even the most polished people tend to forget etiquettes in excitement and an informal ambience.
“One of the most common mistakes that people make is talking with food in their mouth, keeping elbow on the table etc. That happens because dining is quite ‘loud’ in India,” he says.
Even if one is not perfect in when it comes to napkin etiquette, bread and butter etiquette or cutlery etiquette, most have graduated themselves to basic table manners .
Sumit Wahal, head, operations, Mamagoto, says, “People mostly have graduated themselves. There are people who frequently travel to other countries and thats is why they know the basics or taken the trouble to learn them.”
However, people starting the food before their guests, getting up from the table before the others have finished, not using the spoons according to the course, making sounds while eating are some of the manners commonly sidelined.
“Talking while eating has to be adhered to prevent choking of food. In the US, the staff at restaurants are trained to handle choking but here this trend is yet to emerge,” said Rudra.