If you go back for seconds, leave your used plate and cutlery at your table. The wait staff should have your used dishes and cutlery removed prior to you returning to the table with a new plate of food.
When you have finished eating a course, and you are ready for the next one, the correct thing is to place the knife and fork forming the shape of a cross, with the fork facing up and the knife to the left. If you wish to show your appreciation, you can position the cutlery to the right.
To signal to your server that you are still working on your meal, rest your knife and fork on your plate in diagonal positions facing each other. This placement will look like an “A” or an upside-down “V.” This utensil placement will prevent the waiter from removing your plate if you step away from the table.
Forks go on the left, with the salad fork first, and then the dinner fork beside the plate. On the right side of the plate, you will find the knife, appetizer or salad knife, spoon, soup spoon, and oyster fork. The knife blades should be positioned with the cutting sides closest to the plate.
Using Cutlery
The fork and spoon are the only utensils that should go into the mouth. Soup should be tipped into the mouth from the side of the spoon, which should never be held at a 90° angle, and there should be no sucking or slurping. Never lick the knife or eat off it.
Forks should be set to the left of the plate, with knives placed to the right, blade edges facing inwards Soup spoons should be placed on the right of the knives. 3. Place the dessert fork and dessert spoon above the plate, with the fork prongs facing right and the spoon bowl facing left.
Crossed knives on a table will cause a quarrel. Crossing a knife with another piece of cutlery is a sign of witchcraft. And if you cross your knife with your spoon, you are implying the food didn't taste good and that you wish bad luck on the chef.
The position of your silverware can tell your server whether you are resting or finished with your meal: a crossed fork and knife means you are taking a break, while a fork and knife at the eleven o'clock position signify a completed meal.
Instead of taking the meal back to the kitchen in the off-chance you didn't enjoy it, leave a lasting impression with your cutlery. The correct etiquette for indicating you didn't like the meal is to place your knife's blade through the fork's tines in a V.
The most traditional way of storing cutlery is to store cutlery in kitchen drawers. Separate compartments with the drawers for spoons, knives and forks keep them organized. One of the modern ways of accentuating space for flatware is to create layered drop-in-unit within the drawers.
The knife should be in the right hand and the fork in the left. However, if a knife is not needed – such as when eating pasta – the fork can be held in the right hand. Bread is always served and can be placed on the table cloth itself. It is considered unacceptable to use one's fingers to taste the food.
American dining rules suggest you place your knife and fork alongside each other at either the four-o'clock or six o'clock position pointed toward the head of the plate. If you prefer Continental signals, make sure the fork's tines are facing downward.
In America, the rule of thumb is to "serve on the left!" Plates, along with other serving dishes, are served on the left side of the guests. Plates are cleared from the table on the right side of the guests. "Remove on the right!" Simply remember the two R's!
-Do not push your plate away when you are finished, it is considered rude. -If you drop a utensil, ask a waiter immediately to bring you a replacement (they will pick up the dropped utensil, not you). -If a waiter tries to remove your plate before you are finished, feel free to simply say “I'm not finished yet!”.
When a meal is finished, you should never cross your knife and fork, instead align them together (fork first) down the centre of the plate, handles pointing towards the table's edge. Never begin a meal unless your companions have theirs in front of them.
Know the "rest" and "finished" positions.
"Place your knife and fork in the rest position (knife on top of plate, fork across middle of plate) to let the waiter know you are resting," Pachter says. "Use the finished position (fork below the knife, diagonally across the plate) to indicate that you have finished eating."
If you are using a fork and knife, when a moment's pause at the table is necessary, you can communicate this by placing the fork on the left at 7 o'clock and the knife symmetrically opposite at 4 o'clock, with the blade pointing inwards.
You now know that once the meal has concluded, it's proper to place the napkin to the left of your plate. However, if you're leaving the table briefly, such as to use the restroom, you can leave your napkin on your chair. You don't need to place your napkin in any particular way, unless the chair is upholstered.
The napkin goes to the left of the fork, or on the plate. The bread and butter knife is optional.
Food and drink news
Ever since the 16th century there has been a taboo against pointing a knife at our faces. It is rude, of course, to point at anybody with a knife or a fork, or even a spoon; it is also very bad form to hold knife and fork in the fists so that they stand upright.
Some love spoon designs feature two spoons chained or linked together, which symbolises how each person depends on the other, as well as a wish that the two be together forever.