Snack fork and knife, which are used to eat cold dishes, salads, as well as ham, sausage and pancakes, are slightly smaller in size than dining knives.
A fish fork (with three or four small tines) and a knife (with a short, wide blade) are convenient for separating fish fillets from bones. But if the fish is served whole, so that those present can appreciate the size and admire the decoration, it is surrounded by additional devices. For this, a fish spatula and a serving fork are used, which will help to arrange the food from the general dish on plates.
In addition to spoons, tea and coffee will be served with sugar tongs and a two-pronged lemon fork. Coffee spoons vary in size: the smallest one is for espresso or Turkish coffee, and the long ones are for latte or cappuccino. There are no special “dozens” of varieties; names like “glase” or “mélange” refer to drinks, not spoons.
Exoticism dictates its own
Oysters are opened with a special short oyster knife and eaten with a small fork with two or three tines. Snails are separated using tiny tongs and a small fork.
Game tongs resemble curved scissors with slightly curved blades that are convenient for breaking bones.
Traditionally, caviar is served with a small spoon (often made of mother-of-pearl, horn, or bone, so as not to affect the taste). The use of additional knives or spatulas in modern serving is not mandatory.
One for all
Etiquette rules require that eaters transfer salads, appetizers, and cheese from shared dishes to their own plates using so-called shared utensils — tongs, forks, spoons, and spatulas. All these “tools” are placed next to the dish for which they are intended, so it is impossible to mix them up. If you have to rack your brains, it is only to understand which knife is for butter and which is for cheese, they are usually placed next to each other. But a recognizable detail will help to distinguish them: the one for cheese has noticeable teeth on the end — they are used to pick up the cut pieces.
Confectionery tongs come in large and small sizes. The former are used to transfer pastries to your plate, the latter are used to transfer candies and chocolate. If the sugar is in lumps, then tongs with teeth for gripping are placed next to it. Separate, larger and stronger tongs are usually provided for ice cubes.
Common utensils include a fish spatula for spreading out sliced meats, and a pastry spatula for cakes.
Look for extremes
Two knives, two forks, and a spoon are classic table settings. All other utensils come with the corresponding dishes.
You should start using utensils from the edges to the center: farther from the plate, the pair for appetizers is placed, and closer to it, the knife and fork for the main course.
At the end of the meal, the fork and knife are placed parallel to each other with the handles to the right. If you have not finished the meal, but for some reason want to interrupt, it is customary to place the utensils crosswise or in the shape of the letter “V” with the teeth down – this signals to the waiter that you have not finished yet.
How to behave at the table
Broths are served in cups with one or two handles. A cup with one handle is convenient for drinking, while a cup with two handles is often eaten with a spoon, but this depends on the consistency of the dish.
The bread is broken over a plate and eaten in small pieces. A special saucer is brought for the buns. The bun from the common tray is first placed on this saucer, and only then is it eaten.
Meatballs, cutlets, cabbage rolls, and omelettes are broken up with a fork, a knife is optional.
A spoon and fork are both needed when eating spaghetti. The spoon helps to wind the pasta onto the fork, but modern etiquette allows you to get by with just the fork, resting it on the edge of the plate.
Tabaka chickens (pieces after previously separating the carcass) can be eaten with your hands. In this case, it is assumed that the waiter will bring a bowl of warm water and a cloth napkin for you to rinse your fingers.
Grapes are eaten one berry at a time, and the seeds are discreetly placed on a plate. But no matter how hard you try, it looks unaesthetic. Therefore, at magnificent social receptions, either raisins are served to the table, or grapes are not brought at all.
Compotes are not drunk, but eaten with a spoon. It is considered not comme il faut to drink the liquid first and then eat the dried fruits. The pits are placed on a saucer, which is served specially.
Джерело: ukr.media
