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The first thing that goes on the table is "the charger". This is a
fancy term for "the plate that goes under the dinner plate." The
charger
is there to protect the tablecloth, and catch any food that doesn't
make
it to your mouth. It's the anchor of the setting; the dinner plate
rests
on top of it, and you work outward from there. |
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The forks go to the left of the plate and their order is
important--it
tells you what to eat and when. (And let's face it, not everyone would
know otherwise!) Starting from the outside and working in towards the
plate, place the forks prongs-upward in the order they will be
used--first the appetizer fork, then the big salad fork, and finally the
dinner fork. |
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The knife rests to the right of the plate with it's sharp edge
pointing inward towards the plate. This has nothing to do with
safety--it
just looks nice.
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To right of the knife goes the spoon. |
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The side dish is placed to the left of the forks. There is rumor
that
the dish is separated from the spoon to prevent them from running away
together. But unless the cow jumps over the moon I wouldn't worry. |
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Drinking glasses go on the right of the spoon. If there is a wineglass, it
should go at the top point of the knife. If there are more glasses,
they
are to be placed in the order they'll be used, from the outside in
(coffee cup, water glass, etc.). |
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Specialty utensils like shellfish forks or grapefruit
spoons should only be brought out with the course. The same goes for
dessert utensils. At this point any more utensils on the table just
confuses people. |
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The napkin is a free-floater. If you have a fancy fold, place the
napkin on your plate in the center to show it off (you didn't spend
hours making cloth swans for them to go unnoticed). If you skipped the
swans you can put napkins on the side dish or to the right of the
glasses. |
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And voila! Dinner can be served and the guests will be impressed. If
nothing else, a perfectly set table will remind you of the simple joys
of ordering pizza.
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| If you just can't remember the order of the utensils, just know that
they go alphabetically: Fork(s), Knife, Spoon (left to
right, like you'd read). |
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Joel Klein
San Mateo, CA |
Have a tip? E-mail it to us! |
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