Raines Realm

Flatware used to be very coveted tools that were considered a luxury. In modern times, it seems that a single fork on the table at each place setting is accepted as adequate. This is an injustice that has led to sloppy eating habits and a loss of etiquette as well as manners. At the absolute minimum, a place setting should have a knife and fork. Preferably a bread knife on a bread plate as well if the meal so dictates. Having a dinner knife allows you a "pusher" for getting smaller bites of food onto your fork. This eliminates the need to shovel bites of food off of your plate and into your mouth. Having a separate bread knife ensures that your butter stays clean and that guests can access the butter as needed. Its terrible to use your dinner knife on your dinner only to find out that you were expected to use it on the butter first. If you will not have bread knives, ensure that your guests have access to the butter before soiling their dinner knives. If you have ...

A wise person once said, "never confuse etiquette and manners. Bad etiquette is using your dinner fork on your salad. Bad manners is pointing out that someone used their dinner fork on their salad. Manners will always trump etiquette." To be clear, etiquette is very important. It is the silent code of respect among others. When we have a basic knowledge of etiquette and practice it daily, it is a type of security. Everyone knows what to expect. There are no surprises or uncomfortable situations. Dinners and parties run smoothly and it makes everything more enjoyable. Now, after we have all mastered etiquette, we still must understand and exercise manners. Accidents happen. Pointing out a situation and making someone uncomfortable is very poor manners. Ensuring that everyone is treated with respect should always be the first priority. Unfortunantly, all of the etiquette in the world cannot substitute for poor manners. For that reason, here are major infractions...

We've all been there at some point, where we sit down to a dinner party and have no idea what plate is for what or what fork to use first. Maybe it's because we haven't really attended very many dinner parties or perhaps we were so busy in the pursuit to adult that we missed this important lesson. Today I'm going to discuss the basics that will get you through practically any dinner party during this holiday season. You can watch a video where I go into more detail  here . -First, let's start with the flatware. Forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right. If you're setting a table and get confused, just remember that fork has four letters and so does left and knife and spoon have five and so does right. You may have a dessert fork or spoon above your plate as well. If you have a cheese spreader above your plate, you're in for a real treat because there will be a cheese course! Regarding flatware, always work from the outside in and from the top ...