How Well Do You Know Your Dining Etiquette?

Whether dining at a fast-food joint or a five-star establishment, there are certain things you should not do. 

For example, you should never do the following: chew with your mouth open, shovel food in your mouth, lick your fingers or pay attention to your text messages more than to your dining companion. 

Eating with someone who exhibits any of these unappealing traits can quickly make you lose your appetite. Now, imagine dining with a potential employer, future in-laws or a date; your first meeting may be your last.

So here is some dining etiquette trivia to test how your knowledge.

Scenario 1: Dinner is served. What do you do first?

a.  Text my friends to tell them what I’m eating.

b.  Ask for a drink to take the edge off.

c.  Wait until everyone is seated.

♦       ♦       ♦       ♦       ♦

Scenario 2: You are dining with friends. Your mouth is full but you want to talk; you should:

a.  Hold up your forefinger indicating to them to wait a second.

b.  Finish chewing, swallow, then talk.

c.  Place your napkin over your mouth and proceed to talk.

♦       ♦       ♦       ♦       ♦

Question: Why do employers conduct lunch or dinner interviews?

a.  It saves time.

b.  To learn more about you.

c.  It’s an excuse to order the most expensive items on the menu—on the company’s tab.

________________________________________________________________

Answers:

1.  c.  You always wait until the host is seated.

2.  b.  Your bites should be small enough so that you can hold a conversation without making your dining companions wait for your reply.

3.  a and b. To save time, employers will take the opportunity to eat while conducting an interview. It allows them to see how you interact with the server, what you order, and what your table manners are like. Your lack of dining skills can determine whether the relationship develops or dies.

(These are simple explanations to the dining dilemmas.)