With the holidays upon us, I thought perhaps some of my readers may have forgotten how to set the table for a special dinner. After researching 4 different resources I found none of them matched, telling me that winging it is now acceptable. You will find how to set a complete table: where to place the dishes; how arrange the glassware; how to arrange the flatware / silverware; a great link to the art of folding napkins. This can be applied to less or more formal dining.
China
1. The dinner plate is centered with the chair.
2. Set the salad plate on top of the dinner plate and center it.
3. Set the bread plate to the left of the dinner plate, aligned evenly with the dinner plate.
4. Set the cup and saucer to the right of the dinner plate, but up a bit, the bottom should be a little past the top of the plate.
5. The wine glass staggered above the cup and saucer.
6. The water glass is staggered to the left and above the wine glass.
Flatware
An easy way to remember how to set the flatware is by how you will use these utensils. The first utensils used are placed on the outside.
1. The knife is set to the right of the dinner plate.
2. If you are going to have soup, set the soup spoon outside the knife.
3. The dinner fork is set to the left of the dinner plate.
4. If you are having a salad, the salad fork is set outside of the dinner fork.
5. If you are serving a dessert which requires a fork, the cake fork will be set above the dinner plate at a horizontal angle (sideways), with the handle on the left.
6. If you are serving coffee, you set the spoon above the cake fork, also horizontally, with the handle to the right side, as most people are right-handed.
7. If you have butter knives, you will set these across the bread plate, with the handle to the right.
Napkins
The napkin can either be placed:
1. folded in half and to the left of the left utensils, with the crease facing away from the forks;
2. in the water glass; or
3. folded artistically and placed on the dinner plate.
For several different napkin folds see http://www.napkinfoldingguide.com/
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Quote of the day:
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John F. Kennedy
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Posted by: Carla Spacher
www.carlaspacher.wordpress.com
