Eating etiquette refers to the manners and customs surrounding mealtime and the consumption of food. Eating etiquette is important as it reflects one’s upbringing, education, and social skills. Good manners at the dinner table can help build relationships and create a positive atmosphere, while poor etiquette can be distracting and make others uncomfortable. Observing proper etiquette also shows respect for others, the host, and the occasion. Following basic etiquette rules helps create a pleasant dining experience for everyone involved.

Here are some key elements of proper eating etiquette at Westwood restaurants:

1. Keep Those Hands Clean

During the day, our hands are exposed to all sorts of viruses and bacteria from simply touching things in the environment. Washing your hands before eating that icky stuff doesn’t transfer to the food we eat and keeps us and the people we’re eating the food with safe from illnesses.

2. Use Utensils Properly

While some people say that knives need to be on the left hand and the fork on the right, everybody has got their own way of eating. So, if knives on the right and forks on the left are more convenient for you, have a go at it if it makes eating easier for you! However, please do use utensils for their purposes. Don’t start using your main spoon to stir your coffee or your set of utensils to spoon the food out of a shared platter. That’s what serving spoons are for!

3. Hold Your Horses

Start eating only when everyone around the table has been served and the host gives the signal to start. If you don’t have a host, start eating when everyone has their food already. You’re here to spend time with your peers, after all, and what good is spending time with them eating when you’re the only one eating?

4. Keep That Mouth Closed

Chew with your mouth closed and don’t converse with food in your mouth. If you do, the food you’re chewing can spit all over the person you’re speaking with. Ick! It’s also a way to spread germs and bacteria from your mouth around the table. Double ick!

5. Do Not Reach, Ask for a Pass

Do not reach across the table for food or utensils. Ask the person nearest to them to pass what you need. Imagine if you were wearing a frilly dress and the frills drag themselves across the food when you were reaching over for something. And it’s just not a good thing to see—you want to see the environment around you, not someone’s torso reaching out for something.

6. Don’t Play with Food

Don’t play with your food, such as making unnecessary noise or playing with it. Someone went to great lengths to both prepare and sometimes pay with your food, and all you’re doing is messing around with it? That’s not a proper way to thank someone for a good meal.

7. Use a Napkin

Use a napkin to wipe your mouth and hands. Please do not lick your fingers or use your tongue to wipe all around your mouth unless you want to look like an oversized toddler! If your hands are too dirty to be cleaned with a napkin, clean as much as you can with the napkin first and then excuse yourself to wash your hands at the restroom.

8. Don’t Make Unnecessary Noises

Don’t slurp your soup. If the soup is too hot for you to sip properly, then blow on it until it is. Of course, this advice is unnecessary if you’re eating Japanese food since it is customary to slurp to show your companions that you enjoy the food!

The same goes for noodles like spaghetti. Don’t slurp on them because they’re too long. Instead, twirl the noodles on your fork until you can eat all of it in one bite. Again, this is different for Japanese food as slurping on the noodles signals that you love them!

9. Don’t Blow Your Nose

Don’t blow your nose at the table, especially with your napkin. It’s just gross and invites bacteria and viruses to infect your companions. It’s just a gross sight to see, leaving your boogers out in the open for people to see and the unlucky server to wash later.

10. Wait for Everyone Else Afterward

Just like you wait for everyone to get their food before you start eating, you must wait until everyone has finished eating before leaving the table. If you leave early, that implies you were just there for the food and not to hang around with everybody else.

Conclusion

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you display good manners and respect while dining, regardless of where you are or who you are with. Whether you are on a date in a fine restaurant in Westwood, at a friend’s home, or a formal business meal, proper eating etiquette will help you make a positive impression and enjoy your meal to the fullest.

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