Avoid These Bread-Eating Faux Pas at Your Next Fancy Dinner Party
One of the most rewarding benefits of fine dining is the plentiful, free-flowing bread basket. Enjoying a warm, buttered roll while waiting for the main course not only satisfies your hunger, but also makes a delicious and satisfying pre-dinner snack. However, you may be focusing too much on the bread and not enough on the proper etiquette associated with sharing a communal bread basket. Luckily, Nikesha Tannehill Tyson, etiquette coach and owner and operator of the Swann School of Protocol in Shreveport, Louisiana, shares some necessary tips to keep in mind when dining on this popular appetizer dish.
Common sense will tell you that there are several things you should never do in a fancy restaurant. Beyond avoiding the obvious things like using your phone at the table and chewing with your mouth full, it’s essential to know how and where to pass the elusive bread basket. According to Tyson, “When there is a bread basket, it is the role of the host or the person closest to the basket to pass the bread to the right.” If you are the first person to handle the bread basket at your table, as a courtesy, offer bread to the person seated to your left first. Then, once you have taken some bread, pass the basket on your right. In addition to making sure all guests get their fair share of this complementary snack, avoid using your main plate as your designated bread holder.
Read more: The 18 Unhealthiest Store-Bought Sliced ​​Breads You Can Buy
How to Find Your Bread Plate at a Crowded Table
Once you learn how bread plates are typically arranged, accidentally using your neighbor’s salad plate to house your second bun is easily preventable. Food mentor Nikesha Tannehill Tyson confirms how easy it is to accidentally mistake someone else’s plate for your own. “The biggest mistake to avoid when dining out is not knowing which bread plate is yours or the correct placement of the bread plate.”
Luckily, Tyson is an expert when it comes to food. The Louisiana-based coach offers virtual classes, one-on-one coaching, and classes for anyone looking to sharpen their etiquette skills. Fortunately, she reveals to Daily Meal that “the bread plate is always to the left of the place setting, above the forks.” Bread plates are significantly smaller than dinner plates. Additionally, the finest cutlery in high-end restaurants includes butter knives placed on bread plates for easy access.
Arriving at the table, as you settle into your seat, take a minute or two to scan the table so you know exactly where to place your individual serving of warm, fluffy Parker House dinner rolls. Now that you know how to efficiently locate your bread plate and pass your favorite bread basket around the table, you’re ready to follow proper food etiquette.
More manners to follow at fancy dinners
Once the designated bread arrives on your bread plate, you’re not completely safe. To avoid appearing rude to your friends and family, you should follow certain manners when it comes to eating. If you’ve been cutting up buns and taking bites of whole pieces, you need to change your protocol. Instead, break off individual pieces of bread and eat them one at a time. To avoid the foodie rule you’ve probably broken before, scoop out a portion of butter and place it on your bread plate to spread easily. When you want to add butter to your bread, apply a little to each torn section before eating. Try making it directly on your plate rather than buttering bread in your hands.
In the world of gastronomy, etiquette coach Nikesha Tannehill Tyson advises everyone to “practice at home” to fully assimilate the recommended good manners. If you want additional reminders, Tyson’s book, “Going Public,” is full of helpful tips you can turn to whenever you need a refresher on dining protocol. After all, says Tyson, “You don’t want to compromise your brand by displaying poor dining etiquette and table manners.” » Using Nikesha Tannehill Tyson’s tips, you’re on your way to enjoying free bread at fancy dinners and restaurants with grace and style.
Read the original article on The Daily Meal.
