How to set the table Anna Post
Have you ever helped set a table
and found yourself wondering
where to place the forks?
Or sat down to eat a restaurant
and wondered which utensils to use?
Well, here’s some simple,
traditional etiquette tips
on how to set a table.
What would happen if you
set a table like this?
It doesn’t look good,
and you have to clean up the mess
before you can even start.
Let’s try another way.
To start, use a placemat or tablecloth,
but not both,
so the dishes aren’t
directly on the table.
This is more about looks than etiquette,
but it’s rare to see nothing under a plate
unless you’re eating at a picnic table.
Set out any flowers,
candlesticks,
or other decorations you like.
Candles are usually only lit at night.
Start with utensils for the main course,
putting your dinner fork on the left
and your dinner knife
on the right-hand side
since these are the hands
we use them with.
Here’s a helpful tip:
You always eat outside-in,
so to set for salad,
we’ll put the salad fork
to the outside of the dinner fork
and the salad knife
to the outside of the dinner knife.
We’ll have salad first,
then our main course.
Notice, too, that the knife blades
are both pointed toward the plate.
This is an old tradition
from a time when dinner
knives were quite sharp,
and it was a sign of politeness
and nonaggression
to keep them pointed
away from other diners.
We might have some soup,
and since soup usually comes first,
the soup spoon goes outside the knives
since we use our right hand to hold it.
Here’s another tip:
Only set the table with what you’ll need.
If you’re not eating soup,
don’t set a soup spoon.
Now, for dessert, we’ll have ice cream
so we’ll place the dessert up top
since we don’t need it for a little while.
Notice that the bowl of the spool
is pointing to the left.
This way, when it’s time to eat,
you just slide it down
and it’s in the right spot.
If you were having cake,
you’d set a fork and flip it 180 degrees
so it would be right side-up
on the left instead.
Next we’ll anchor
our setting with the plate.
You can also serve from the kitchen
then bring them to the table.
The bread plate goes
up and to the left of the setting,
and the butter knife goes
on the plate at an angle,
again, with the blade pointing in.
There’s only one spot left,
and that’s for the drinks.
Set the wine glass to the upper right,
and then place the water glass
to the left of it at an angle.
If you’re like me
and can never remember which goes where,
think water, wine,
w-a, w-i;
a, i;
they go left to right
in alphabetical order.
Another tip:
To remember left and right
with the bread and the drinks,
think B-M-W like the car.
B, your bread plate, is on the left;
M, your meal, is in the middle,
and W, your water, is on the right.
Lastly, the napkin traditionally
goes to the left of the forks,
though it’s okay to put
it underneath them, too.
For a fancier meal like this one
that takes up a lot of space,
we’ll put it in the middle.
Now we’re ready to eat.
Hopefully these tips will be helpful
the next time you’re asked
to help set the table
or sit down at a fancy meal.
Enjoy!