10 table manners to keep in mind

But did you know something as simple as picking up your food with your fork may well be regarded as ill-mannered? Or that eating too fast or too slow is frowned upon?

When it comes to table manners there are so many rules! How do you avoid the glares of disapproval and inaudible murmurs of condemnation?

“No one will tell you if you have bad manners or distracting habits when eating and dining with others,” Julie Lamberg-Burnet, founder of Australia’s Sydney School of Protocol, tells Mail Online.

Which is why we’re here to help.

1.       Do not start a meal without the host asking you to. If you’re at a restaurant, wait until everyone else has been served before digging in, Etiquette Scholar adds.

2.       Do not wave your cutlery around while talking.

3.       Avoid holding your knife life a “pencil”, Lamberg-Burnet says.

4.       Reaching across the table to grab a dish or condiment is disrespectful. Instead, ask a fellow diner to pass the dish to you. When passing the dish around, pass to your right. Any heavy or awkward dishes are put on the table with each pass.

5.       When you start eating, unfold the napkin in your lap and leave it there until you’ve finished eating. If you excuse yourself from the table at any point during the meal, put the napkin on either side of your plate. Once you’ve finished eating, put your napkin to the left of your plate.

6.       Never chew with your mouth open.

7.       Do not remove food or any foreign object from your mouth at the table.

8.       Elbows are not to be placed on the table.

9.       Don’t speak with a mouthful of food. Swallow it first.

10.   If your food’s too hot, wait for it to cool down before eating. Avoid blowing on it, The Spruce writes.

SOURCES: MAIL ONLINE, ETIQUETTE SCHOLAR, THE SPRUCE