Posted by Rachel Schwartz on 7/24/2019 to
Now Ya Cookin'
Have you ever wondered how a server knows to clear your plate when you've finished eating at a restaurant? A clean plate might be an indication, but what if you didn't finish your food? Or how they knew you were finished but your companion wasn't? Believe it or not, your utensils are most likely what tipped them off. Or, more aptly, how your utensils were positioned on the plate. It's a seldom discussed area of table manners called utensil etiquette.
How you place your utensils sends a message to others as to whether you've finished eating or are simply taking a break from the food. And it's most likely a learned behavior that you didn't even realize you had picked up while growing up.
There are two universal ways to signal that you are simply pausing or taking a break during your meal--the Continental style and the American style. The continental style is creating an inverted V with your fork and knife on the plate with the tips of each utensil meeting near the top of the plate. Imagine holding your fork in your left hand on one side of the plate, knife in the right hand on the other side, and placing both down on your plate at the same time. That's essentially what happens, except the utensils are slightly angled toward each other.
The American style involves resting the knife diagonally across the top of the plate with the tip pointing to the left, as if you've just finished cutting a piece of meat and want to temporarily set the knife down but not on the tablecloth since it has now been used. The fork rests in a similar diagonal further down the plate, again with tines up and facing to the left, parallel to the knife.
When you are finished eating or simply finished with a course of food during a longer meal, there are two options. One is to place fork and knife next to each other in the center of the plate with fork tines up and the tips of both utensils pointed up towards the top of the plate. The other option is to place fork and knife at a slight angle so that the tips of each are pointing towards the ten o'clock position with the bodies of the utensils at four o'clock.
Pay attention the next time you are out to eat, and you'll most likely find yourself demonstrating one of these automatically.
