About britain Table manners

Although rules regarding table manners are not very strict in Britain, it is considered rude to eat and drink noisily. At formal meals, the cutlery is placed in the order in which it will be used, starting from the outside and working in. The dessert spoon and fork are usually laid at the top of your place setting, not at the side.

After each course, the knife and fork should be laid side by side in the middle of the plate. This shows that you have finished and the plate can be removed. If you leave the knife and fork apart, it will show that you have not yet finished eating.

It is considered impolite to smoke between courses unless your hosts say otherwise. It is polite to ask permission before you smoke in people's homes.

In Britain, smoking is now forbidden in many public places, e.g. on the underground, on stations, in shops, in theatres and in cinemas.

The ABC of Table Manners

1. Do not attract undue attention to yourself in public.

2. When eating take as much as you want, but eat as much as you take.

3. Do not eat too fast or too slowly, cut as you eat.

4. Take a little of every dish that is offered to you.

5. Sit up straight and face the table, do not put your elbows on the table while eating.

6. Do not reach across the table - simply say: "Would you please pass the salt", etc.

7. At a small party do not start eating until all are served. At a large_£arty it is not necessary to wait for all. The hostess gives a signal to her guests by saying: "Start eating, please (your food will get cold)".

8. There is no rule about eating everything on your plate, to indicate that you have had enough place knife and fork together, not criss-cross.

9. When refusing a dish or helping simply say: "No, thank you." when accepting -"Yes, please".

10. Do not leave the spoon in your cup, when drinking tea or coffee.

11. Do not empty your glass too quickly.

Skill Ex. 3 Discuss which of the following habits you consider rude and why. Developing Which of them, if any, do you consider acceptable only at home, and which do you consider completely unacceptable?

- helping yourself to food without asking

- starting to eat before everyone is served

- picking at food with your hands

- reading at the meal table

- resting your elbows on the table

- reaching across the table in front of people

- leaving the table before other people have finished

- not thanking the cook

- wiping your plate clean with bread

Writing Ex. 4 Look at the example below, then write a few paragraphs about etiquette for visitors to your country. Give helpful advice about things like table manners, hospitality and tipping.

Table Manners

At mealtimes in Sweden we don't use side plates for bread. You're supposed to put your bread on the table beside your dinner plate. After a meal you're expected to thank the person who prepared it, even if it's your mother or father.

Skill Ex. 5 Mind your Manners!

Developing

A. Read the questions and think about your answers. B. Work in pairs and discuss your answers. In my family we have dinner at ten o'clock. C. Tell the rest of the class what your answers are. Use these expressions. Both of us think that ... Neither of us thinks that ... I think ... but I Hen a thinks ...

1. What do you say at the start of a meal? 2. What time do you have lunch and dinner? 3. How long does a typical lunch or dinner last? 4. Do you usually use a knife and fork? If so, which hands do you hold them in? 5. Do you use a napkin? If so, where do you put it? 6. At which meals do you eat the following food? melon pasta fish steak 7. Where do you put your knife and fork when you have finished your meal? 8. Where do you put your hands when you're at the table but not eating? 9. Do you eat cake with a fork or a spoon? 10. What food do you often eat with your fingers at the dining table? 11. When do you usually drink coffee and tee? 12. When can you smoke during a meal? 13. What do you say and do when someone raises their glass?

Words in Ex. 6 Read the following passage and do the exercises.

Context

Before John and Susie Barker went to visit their grandmother, their mother told them their grandmother thought children should have good table manners. So she wrote out this list of instructions.

1. When you are eating you should hold your knife firmly in one hand and your fork firmly in the other. Cut with the knife. Push the food onto your fork, irith your knife. Put the food into your mouth irilh your fork, never irilh your knife.

2. Do not put your arms and elborrs on the table irhile you are eating.

5. Chew your food veiy sloirly. Keep your month closed irhile you are charring, never speak while you hare food in your mouth.

4. Do not put too much food in your month at one lime. Take small bites only.

5. Drink sloirly from your glass or cup. When drinking from a teacup, you should lift the cup irilh one hand and lift the saucer underneath irilh the other. Alirays drink silently, even if you are drinking from a large mug of tea or coffee. .

6. When you are drinking soup move the spoon away from you in your bowl

7. While you are eating, your napkin should be resting on your lap. When you hare finished eating, tripe your mouth with your napkin and place it neatly on the table. Put your knife and fork, together on the plate. Do not put them on the tablecloth.

8. When you are drinking through a straw do not suck violently and make a loud noise when you reach the end of your drink.

9. Never lick your knife. You might cut your tongue. And never lick your plate!