Table Setting Pointers

Gloria Jensen Box Elder County 4-H

1996

Table Setting Pointers

Table setting provides an opportunity to be creative and to express ones own personality within certain guidelines. The purpose of table settings are: 1. To make eating easy. 2. To make the diner comfortable 3. To make the meal pleasant and beautiful. 4. To display and show beautiful objects and dinnerware. A well cooked meal is made more appetizing when it is served in pleasant attractive surroundings. A pleasant well set table helps everyone put on their best manners. When dishes and other objects were created for eating, customs governing their use came to be established. Table setting rules have developed through usage. They are governed by the principles of art, common sense, concern for comfort at the table and courtesy. Art principles would suggest that individual place settings and the table present a balanced appearance. Balance means the even distribution of weight so that the parts of a composition appear in equilibrium. Balance, texture, and shape affect balance with dissimilar objects. Small objects of dark color balance larger areas of a light color. For example the small dish of red jelly may balance the larger plate of bread. Small objects of bright luster balance larger objects of dull texture. For example the glass at the right of the plate balances the bread and butter plate at the left. There are nearly always a few items on any table that can be shifted to give a better balance. A table makes a pleasing appearance when the items are in scale with one another and the table. The luncheon knife and fork, the small dinner plate, and the small centerpiece are best used on a small table. Large tables can be set with items that are larger and in a larger scale. Keep the number of items on a table in scale with the table. Eliminating nonessential items on a small table reduces the cluttered look. The pattern gotten through the repetition of lines, shapes and designs within the table setting and repetition around the table is pleasing. Common sense dictates that the place setting include what is necessary for eating the meal; it also forbids nonessentials. Concern for comfort of the diner requires that the dishes and utensils be placed in convenient positions in the table setting. Courtesy demands that the tools essential for refined eating be provided and conveniently placed. There is no right way to set a table; the pattern of table service to be used, the menu to be served, and the size of the table establish the plan for setting the table. The specific utensils to be used at each place setting is set by the menu. The exact position of these items in the place setting may differ according to table size.

Table Setting
1. All cloths need to be wrinkle free with a center fold directly down the middle of the table and opposite edges of the cloth the same distance from the floor. A pad or silence cloth under the tablecloth prevents noise and gives a smooth appearance to the cloth. 2. Mark each place by evenly spacing plates around the table. Each plate should be one inch from the edge of the table. Placemats should be placed about one-half inch from the edge of the table. 3. Place the flatware on the table in the order of its use, the first piece to be used on the outside. Knives and spoons are placed to the right of the plate and forks to the left. Cutting edges of knives are turned toward the plate. The bottom edges of all flatware should be parallel and one inch from the edge of the table. 4. Place the water glass at the tip of the knife. Milk or other beverage glasses should go to the right of the water glass. 5. Lay the napkin, folded in a rectangle or square, at the left of the fork with the open corner at the lower right. If bread and butter plates are used, place them to the left of the main plate just above the fork. Salad plates, if used, are placed to the left of the fork and napkin.

Basic Place Setting

Informal Place Setting

a) b) d) e) f) g) h) i) Napkin Dinner fork (right), Salad fork (left) Dinner knife Soup spoon (right), teaspoon (left) Beverage glass (right), water glass (left) Salad plate Bread & butter plate Coffee cup

A RULE OF THUMB: Dining is more comfortable when 24 inches are allowed at each place setting. Flowers or other decorations should not crowd the food or the people seated at the table. If placed in the center of the table, they must be low enough for people to easity see each other across the table. If candles are used, they should be above eye level, so that the light is not in the eyes of the people seated at the table. Use candles only in late afternoon and at night. After you have finished setting your table, get a few feet away and look at it to see if the picture you have created is pleasing. HAVE FUN CREATING BEAUTIFUL TABLE SETTINGS!

Serving Pointers
As well as setting an attractive table, it is important to serve the food to your guests in a pleasing way. Here are some points to remember when you are acting as the server. Place, remove, and pass all dishes except beverages from the left of the person being served. Serve beverages from the right. Use the left hand when serving from the left. Use the right hand when serving beverages at the right. Fill water glasses three-fourths full. Leave glasses on the table while refilling. Use a clean napkin to catch any drip from the pitcher. When clearing the table, remove the food first, next the soiled dishes and silver, then the glasses. When serving dessert at the table at the end of the meal, remove the plates and eating utensils that were used for the meal, then bring out the clean silver and the dessert on a separate plate or dish. Never reach across a table to serve someonethere is too great a chance that something will spill! These few rules of serving will make your meal go smoother and will lessen the chance of a mishap.