Table manners start well before you get to the table.

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Saying where table manners start and where they end is not that easy. Yes, there is a word “table” in it, but you cannot say that the table manners apply only to the things we do around the table. What about cocktail parties? OK, then. Is it everything around food? That’s closer. It is considered to be a bad manner to serve food which is out of season. And no doubt serving the food which is slightly off is no go either. Hence the infographic below has a lot to do with table manners. How to keep your food fresh longer.

French Habits

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 Let us know what you think about table manners.

A little guide on French table manners we found today:http://www.pariscultureguide.com/french-table-manners.html. Most of it could be applied to the majority of European countries, but one crucial thing is missing.

The universal rule to using your cutlery everywhere else is something along these lines: using utensils on the outside first and working your way inward (well, there is some less appropriate advice on that page,  nothing criminal, but be aware: they cannot decide which word to use - serviette or napkin...). What I came across in France during the rather formal dinners is that cutlery is arranged according to size creating really beautiful, beautiful butterfly wings. The only problem - you really need to be able to distinguish your pudding fork from your salad one. I talked to the French friend yesterday - he reckons this is the thing of the past.

The example below is a bit easier.
If only every meal were this complicated: The 12 courses include: Caviar, Escargot, Seafood Cocktail, Soup, Fish, Lobster, Entree, Palate Cleanser, Releve(main) Course, Salad, Dessert, Coffee/Tea

Try to find the fork for snails on this picture. And please let us know if you think that whoever laid the table in this picture really thinks that salad needs a knife? Otherwise what is that last one for?

And no comments here on the napkin ring. I have been told in England that it is a universal class divider. More on it later.

Cherishing food

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Table manners are about the most important thing for humans. They are about food. Food has fascinated artists for centuries. Still life continues to be a subject of choice for many talented painters today. Let us introduce you to just one of them, 
Brett Humphries and his solo exhibition at Catto  Gallery in London

"...astonishing paintwork brings a hyper-real quality to the food items, vases and utensils that populate his world. His berries are just very very berry."