Knife and fork handed back for next course; customary in France?

1. Where do you put your dinner knife and fork when you have finished the dinner course?
2. How do you use fork and knife in French?
3. What does putting your knife and fork together mean?
4. What is the standard cutlery for main course?
5. Do you cross your knife and fork on the plate to signal the waiter you have left the table but will return to finish your meal?
6. Why do English eat with fork upside down?
7. Is it rude to leave food on your plate in France?
8. Which hand do you hold the fork and spoon?
9. What are good table manners in France?
10. Is it rude to eat with just a fork?
11. Why shouldn't you cross your knife and fork?
12. Is it rude to put your knife in your mouth?

Where do you put your dinner knife and fork when you have finished the dinner course?

When you've finished eating, the knife and fork are placed side by side on the right side of the plate in the 4 o'clock position, with the fork on the inside, tines up, and the knife on the outside, blade in. This "I am finished" position non-verbally alerts the wait staff to clear your plate.

How do you use fork and knife in French?

The fork will be placed to the left of the plate, and the knife on the right. The knife with the sharp edge towards the plate. Not that your knife should be used with your right hand, even if you are left handed… It may not be practical, but that's what good French table manners dictate!

What does putting your knife and fork together mean?

“I am finished.”

Place your knife and fork together in the centre of the plate, pointing to twelve o'clock. This will indicate to your attendee that you have finished. It is okay to place it pointing any position on the plate as long as the utensils are parallel to each other.

What is the standard cutlery for main course?

Dinner fork- Meant for the main course, dinner fork measures around seven inches. Dessert fork- It is used for eating cake, pies and pastries. It is more or less similar to salad fork. Fish fork- It is used for holding and serving fish.

Do you cross your knife and fork on the plate to signal the waiter you have left the table but will return to finish your meal?

A left-handed person should rearange the place setting so the forks are on the right and the knife and spoon are on the left. Cross your knife and fork on the plate to signal the waiter you have left the table but will return to finish your meal. It is all right to eat with one hand and drink with the other.

Why do English eat with fork upside down?

Americans often comment that Europeans use their forks “upside down.” Since we did not learn to use forks until some time after the ends of knives were rounded, the change in the manner of food conveyance was not directly from knife tip to fork tine as it was in England.

Is it rude to leave food on your plate in France?

This of course, only applies to when you are eating at someone's home, not in a restaurant. It is only polite to wait till the host has finished his/her meal before getting up from the table. Small children who have finished eating may ask to leave the table, or get permission from their parents to do so.

Which hand do you hold the fork and spoon?

To cut the items in your plate, hold the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left hand, the tines facing down. Bend your wrists so that your index fingers are pointing down towards your plate. Then, hold the food down with the fork by applying pressure through the index finger.

What are good table manners in France?

• Eat together and at the dinner table, not in front of the TV.
• Break the baguette, don't slice it.
• Know your wine glasses: small oval ones for white wine, large round glasses for red.
• Never spread foie gras but place it on the piece of bread.

Is it rude to eat with just a fork?

Far from being forbidden, cutting with the side of the fork is the preferred method for anything easily subdued, such as fish, salad and cake. The tines are there because the fork has the more robust job of impaling meat while the knife is used to cut it. But impaling peas is too petty a task for it.

Why shouldn't you cross your knife and fork?

In my family, when the knife and fork are crossed and sitting on the plate, it is a signal to the waiter/host that you have not yet finished your meal and the plate is to be left on the table.

Is it rude to put your knife in your mouth?

The knife must never enter the mouth or be licked. When eating soup, the spoon is held in the right hand and the bowl tipped away from the diner, scooping the soup in outward movements. The soup spoon should never be put into the mouth, and soup should be sipped from the side of the spoon, not the end.