Bad Table Manners: How To Avoid The 9 Worst Mistakes
who this class is for
Everyone
About this micro-class
Bad table manners are the etiquette worst mistakes that we should avoid at the dining table. Such behaviors risk disrespecting hosts or guests and make you look rude.
Bad Table Manners to Avoid
1. Neglecting hygiene rules
Poor personal hygiene
Some of the worst table manners offenses are related to poor personal and table hygiene.
Failing to wash your hands, poor personal hygiene and untidy appearance, strong body odor, or wearing worn-out or soiled clothes is unpleasant for the other guests and can ruin their meals.
Touching food with your hands
Touching food with your hands risks spreading germs and thus is considered bad table manners, unless the food is supposed to be eaten with your fingers.
Never touch food on serving dishes. Don’t double-dip the same piece of bread in a shared dish.
Use only serving utensils to take food from a shared dish, never use your utensils to serve food.
If you touch any food on a shared dish, such as bread, you must put it whole on your plate.
If you need to slice a whole loaf of bread or a baguette, don’t touch it with your hands. Instead, use a napkin or a towel to hold the bread while you slice it.
Eating from someone else's dish
Don’t eat off other guests’ dishes or utensils. If you want to taste someone else’s food, hand them your fork, so that they can spear some food and hand it back.
Using an utensil after dropping it
If you drop a utensil on the floor, pick it up but don’t use it. Instead, ask for a replacement.
It doesn’t matter how long the dropped utensil touched the ground.
Licking your fingers
Eating with your hands is bad table manners unless the food or the situation specifically calls for it.
In any case, avoid licking your fingers. Instead, wipe them on your napkin or excuse yourself and go wash your hands.
Resting your elbows on the dining table
It’s impolite to rest your elbows on the table.
The reason behind this rule is that nobody washes their elbows before a meal. Thus, elbows are unclean and should not be rested on the dining table.
2. Performing activities that don't belong to a dining table
What is allowed
As a general rule, at a dining table you can eat and socialize with the other guests. Doing anything else is bad table manners.
Picking your teeth
Use toothpicks only in private. Never pick your teeth with your fingers or a utensil.
If you cannot resist, excuse yourself and go to the restroom to remove any unwanted food from your teeth.
Blowing your nose at the table
Don’t blow your nose at the dining table.
Instead, excuse yourself and do it in the restroom or another room.
Grooming at the table
Avoid rearranging your hair, combing your beard, or refreshing your make-up. Groom before joining the table or do it in the restroom.
3. Making noises at the dining table
Smacking, crunching, and slurping
Eat as quietly as possible and avoid chewing food audibly. Any noise you make while eating is considered bad table manners.Â
Avoid any other noises too, such as drumming with fingers or clinking plates or glasses with cutlery.
Speaking in a loud voice
Control the volume of your voice. Don’t raise your voice or make loud exclamations.
Don’t overreact to small table incidents, such as spilling food or beverage.
4. Showing partially eaten food
Eating with your mouth open
Keep your mouth sealed while you are eating. Never speak with food in your mouth.Â
Don’t take a half-bite, but eat everything on your fork or spoon completely.Â
Don’t drink if you have food in your mouth.
Spitting food out
Never spit food. Instead, remove any unwanted food, such as pits, in the same way you brought it to your mouth.
Use a napkin or a hand to cover your mouth while you remove the food.
Cutting your food all at once
Cut food as you eat, one bite-sized piece at a time. The same rule applies to bread too.
The only exception is when you are slicing or mincing food for children.
Scraping leftovers
In general, you should eat everything on your plate and avoid leftovers. If this is not possible, discard leftovers and scraps on a side of your plate. Don’t fidget with them using your utensils.Â
After the meal, remove the plates as they are. Pick up one dish with each hand. Don’t stack dishes and move leftover food from one dish to another.
5. Disrespecting others
Being rude to the staff
Respect waiters and the restaurant staff.
Don’t speak down to them or call their attention with indiscreet gestures. Avoid making them wait a long time while you decide what to order.
Avoid requesting off-menu items and multiple custom changes to a dish. If you need more than one custom change, perhaps you should order something else.
Being rude to your host
Don’t add salt, pepper, oil, or another seasoning before tasting your food. Doing otherwise means that you don’t trust the host’s ability to prepare food that tastes right.
Never say that you don’t like the food. Eat at least a small quantity of each food on your plate. Make up an excuse if necessary, such as an allergy or intolerance.
Failing to send a thank-you note to your host is bad manners. Don’t wait more than 24 hours after the meal.
Being rude to the other guests
If somebody does something wrong, don’t criticize them openly. Instead, be patient and tolerate their mistakes, as others tolerate yours.
Eating right away is bad table manners. Wait for everyone to be served and for the hosts to signal that you can start eating.
Don’t eat too fast or too slow, but pace yourself so that you finish your food around the same time as the other guests.
Using your phone
Checking or using your phone during the meal means that you don’t value the other guests, their company, and their time.
Keep your phone on silent and resist the urge to check it until the meal is finished.
Leaving the table without notice
Don’t leave the table without signaling you have finished.
Correctly place your utensils on the plate, and if you need to leave, excuse yourself politely.
6. Invading other guests' personal space
Sitting in a bad posture
Sit with your back straight, both your feet resting on the ground, and your elbows attached to your body.
Slouching on your chair, or leaning your chair back, is bad table manners.
Never place your feet on the table or a chair, including yours.
Leaning
Don’t lean over your plate to put food into your mouth. Instead, use utensils to bring food to your mouth.
If you ordered a drink with a straw, don’t lean over your glass to drink. Instead, lift your glass from the table and bring it to your lips.
Making distracting gestures
Use utensils only to bring food to your mouth. Don’t wave them or make gestures with utensils in your hands.
Avoid fidgeting with your food, tableware, or accessories such as ties, glasses, or jewelry.
Neglecting place setting etiquette
Your bread is on your left, your drinks are on your right. Pay attention and avoid using someone else’s bread plate or glasses.
Pushing your plate
Don’t push your plate while you are eating or when you have finished eating. Leave it at the center of your place setting.Â
Placing your stuff on the table
Keep all your belongings off the dining table, including your phone, any electronic devices, glasses, purse, wallet, and any other item.
Reaching for items
Avoid crossing over other guests and don’t stretch over the table for salt, pepper, or other items.
Instead, politely ask for items to be passed to you, and always say “please” and “thank you.”
Multitasking
Avoid doing more than one thing at the same time.
For example, when you are passing something to another guest, rest your utensils or your glass first.
Venturing under the table
If you drop a utensil, don’t venture under the table to pick it up. If the utensil is out of your immediate reach, apologize and ask for a replacement.
7. Handing food and shared dishes wrong
Passing food in the wrong direction
Pass food always in the same direction, usually to your right.
Never pass food across the table or switch passing directions with each dish. This rule avoids knocking items over or having a guest with two serving dishes at once.
Passing salt and pepper separately
Always pass salt and pepper together, even if someone asks only for one.
Picking the best serving of a course
Don’t choose which food to pick from a serving dish. Take the food closest to your side. Serve yourself a moderate and proportioned amount of each food.
Picking half portion of food that is supposed to be eaten whole
Some food is supposed to be served whole. Don’t take half a donut, bagel, fishcake, or meatball. Take the food whole or leave it on the platter.
Seasoning food in a shared dish
Don’t assume that other guests share your same tastes in seasoning. Don’t add seasonings such as salt, pepper, oil, or lemon to food on a shared dish.
For example, don’t squeeze lemon on a platter of seafood. Instead, serve yourself and squeeze lemon on your plate.
8. Eating food wrong
Ordering food you don't know
Every food and every drink has its etiquette. Order or serve only food and beverages you know how to prepare, serve, and consume.
Blowing on food
Don’t blow on hot food. Instead, wait for it to cool down.
Mopping up sauce
It is impolite to mop up the sauce on a service dish.
You can mop up the sauce left on your plate. However, you must do it with a bite-sized piece of bread, speared by the tines of your fork.
9. Using tableware wrong
Napkin
Don’t place the napkin on your lap unfolded. Instead, unfold your napkin discreetly on your lap upon being seated.
Avoid resting your napkin unfolded. When you leave the table, fold your napkin in a way that hides any soiled sections.
Cutlery
Ensure that you are not using the wrong utensils for different courses. Start from the outermost utensils and work your way in with each course.
Don’t place used utensils on the table. Instead, rest them fully on your plate when taking a break or when you are finished.
Glasses
Don’t drink with greasy or soiled lips. Instead, gently pat your lips with your napkin before drinking.
Holding the wine glass by the bowl is bad table manners. Instead, you should hold the glass by the stem to avoid warming the wine with your hand.
