Learn Manners When Eating which are Important to Know! – When someone wants to eat food, whether it’s at home or at any restaurant, it’s better to prioritize manners in eating it. Because it is important to maintain good manners even when eating so that the food that is digested can also be processed properly by the body and does not disturb the comfort of those around who are eating food too.
There are so many benefits that can be obtained from someone who maintains etiquette when eating, that is, he can be more disciplined because eating at regular hours, not in a hurry, and praying before eating food are part of the etiquette when eating. Someone who maintains his manners when eating can also be healthier because of course he prioritizes cleanliness in every food he wants to eat.
Therefore it is very important to maintain etiquette or manners when eating even from an early age for friends of Sinaumed’s so that they are used to it later when served food wherever Sinaumed’s friends are.
So in this discussion, we have prepared information regarding good manners to apply when eating for all of you Sinaumed’s friends.
Furthermore, we have summarized the discussion below!
What is Table Manners?
Table etiquette are rules of table etiquette, which may include the use of cutlery. Different cultures follow different rules when it comes to table manners. Each family or group sets its own standards for exactly how to follow these rules.
Example of Manners When Eating
For some people, good manners at meals show intelligence. Because eating ethics cannot develop suddenly and requires a long learning process to make it seem more natural. In fact, table etiquette is quite simple, some things can be learned by sitting up straight and not leaning against the back of a chair, not pushing your elbows against the table and using a napkin in your lap.
Manners when eating is one of the cultures or traditions passed down in the family environment. Because of this, you may find eating habits or rules that differ from those of your family and other co-workers. However, there are rules of eating etiquette that are universal. Let’s look at the information below:
1. Washing Hands
One of the etiquette or rules for eating that is usually taught in the home environment is to wash hands before sitting down to eat together. This eating rule is one of the ethics of good nutrition which is still recommended to children based on the habits of their parents. Washing your hands before eating can reduce the risk of bacteria transferring to the food in your mouth.
Bacteria which then enter the mouth and digestive tract can put you and your family, especially children, at risk of health risks, one of which is diarrhea. Make sure you and your family members always wash your hands thoroughly with soap before sitting down to have dinner with your family.
2. Pray Together Before Eating
Prayer is one of the mealtime rules that is usually applied before starting to eat. Teaching children to pray before eating as part of food etiquette is very helpful in letting children know that food on the table is part of the gift and that they can be grateful and thankful for the food.
3. Eat when everything is served
At family dinners, it’s best to teach children to start eating when everything is served according to mealtime rules. This mealtime rule is one step in teaching children discipline and togetherness when eating with family. As a parent, you need to provide kids with easy-to-understand explanations for why everyone in the family can eat until the meal is served, even if the whole family is gathered around the dinner table.
4. Eat according to portion
In ethics or eating rules, it is important to pay attention to and teach children to eat according to portions. Communicate with children so they get enough to eat. At dinner with the family, children should be taught to share. In addition, ensuring that children are not greedy and do not throw away excess food because it is full of inappropriate portions. Eating according to this portion also ensures optimal growth and development for the child’s body. So that children are not at risk of obesity later.
5. Eat with your mouth closed
One of the most common eating etiquette is to eat with your mouth closed. This eating rule means that chewing in the mouth does not produce sound or taste. It is considered rude, obnoxious, and even an appetite suppressant. In addition, eating with your mouth closed can also reduce the risk of choking due to air pressure that enters your mouth while eating. Make sure the baby chews and swallows all the food before offering other foods.
6. Turn off the cell phone ringer
Don’t disturb others by ringing your phone. Before going out to dinner, turn off or vibrate your phone and put it in your pocket or bag. If there is an important call, don’t forget to say goodbye to answer the call so as not to disturb other visitors.
Don’t put your cell phone on the table while eating together. Phone next to food looks less ethical.
7. Do not eat before the host allows
If in a situation eating at someone else’s house and the host is unable to attend, wait a moment until someone else in the house represents him. Right after he invites everyone to eat, then you can eat too! In certain traditional cultures, the host and guests give thanks or exchange cups before eating, so if there is a culture like this, please be patient for a while to eat.
When eating with family members or relatives at home, wait until the person preparing the dish starts eating.
8. Putting a napkin on your lap.
Cover any food that falls from the plate with a napkin. Open the napkin and place it on your lap as gently as possible. If necessary, you can wipe your hands or mouth with a napkin while eating.
Upon sitting down, the first thing on the table were napkins. If you have to leave the table, place the napkin on the chair, not on the table. That means you haven’t finished eating and sit down again.
9. Pass the Dish to the right.
If plates are not being shared by the waiter, remember to pass the food near you to someone else. After eating, offer it to the person sitting on the right. If you want to grab a dish that’s a little further away, ask someone else for help, rather than reaching over someone else’s plate to get it yourself.
If you want to eat the bread or fruit that is served at the dinner table, take some, then offer it to the person sitting on the left before being passed to the right.
10. Using cutlery that is farther away from the plate
Formal dining events usually require complete and good food equipment. For a moment when you want to take a different food menu, you need to exchange cutlery. If you are confused when choosing cutlery, use the one that is farthest from your plate first.
It’s different when eating with your own family or friends of the same age who don’t need troublesome cutlery. You can eat food directly with your hands as long as they are clean and have washed your hands.
The layout of the position of cutlery usually adjusts to the local culture of manners when eating. In general, though, salad forks, dinner forks, and dessert forks are placed on the left side of the dinner plate, while soup spoons, teaspoons, and knives are placed on the right side of the dinner plate.
11. Do not let your elbows directly on the dining table.
Make sure your elbows are beside your waist while eating. Apart from making the table look cramped, it is impolite to put your elbows on the dining table. If you eat with your parents or siblings, you might get scolded!
When the meal is over, you can rest your elbows on the table. This procedure is not applied outside of meal times.
12. Practice saying “please” and “thank you”.
Don’t forget to thank the host after eating. When you ask others to share your food, be polite and respectful to everyone eating together. If the waiter serves food, thank him when he serves you food.
13. Do not talk while eating
Eating together doesn’t just mean enjoying food on the table. While eating, it doesn’t mean like an ordinary gathering where you can talk at will following the topic being discussed.
However, when you are eating together, try to focus on finishing the dish first or chew the food you are eating first until it is swallowed so as not to disturb the comfort of other people who are also eating. Try not to talk too much while eating because it is unethical.
14. Swallow food before drinking
15. Don’t pick dirt off your teeth at the dinner table
If you feel that there is food stuck to your teeth, do not immediately clean it with your fingers or a toothpick in the presence of other people. Brush carefully with your teeth while holding the tissue in front of your mouth. Apart from that, we can also take a sip of water to get rid of it; However, do not use drinking water to rinse your mouth before swallowing.
16. Cover your mouth if you want to burp.
Belching is common and often occurs while eating. As soon as you burp, quickly cover your mouth with a tissue and squeeze your lips together so it doesn’t sound too loud. When finished, say “sorry” and then eat again.
After a few hiccups, politely say goodbye and leave the table until the hiccups stop.
17. Pick up cutlery when you drop it.
Ask for new cutlery. If you drop your cutlery but can’t pick it up yourself, ask the waiter or host for new cutlery and explain why. The same goes for napkins: ask for new ones if they fall on the floor.
If food falls on the floor, pick it up with a paper towel without attracting the attention of others.
18. Put cutlery on the plate after finishing eating.
This step makes it easier for the host or waiter at the restaurant to fix the table. Place the cutlery in the middle of the plate so it doesn’t fall over when the plate is removed. When you eat at a restaurant, it alerts the waiter that your plate is ready to be moved.
The fork and spoon can be crossed or placed next to each other.
19. Help the host set the table.
Meal Time Rules
In addition to ethics, there are also eating rules that are considered technical to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Let’s look at the information below:
1. Regular diet
If you are a parent, you can introduce your child to regular eating patterns as one of the rules of good nutrition while teaching discipline and a regular lifestyle to children. The Regular Dining Program can be started by making an appointment for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For example, for breakfast, it is assumed that you and your family can sit at the dinner table around 6 in the morning. By eating regularly and routinely, children can manage their daily time better so they don’t miss meals with their family.
2. Don’t eat too long
In addition, you can teach your child not to overeat. This is useful for children to manage their time better. Given that children are late for school, time is one of the most important things to follow.
It would be nice for you and your family to get used to eating for 30-35 minutes, so that the remaining time can be used to prepare for other activities. You can also use this meal time for dinner alone so that after eating you and your family still have enough time to talk about the day’s activities.
Conclusion
That’s a brief discussion of how to have good manners when eating. Not only discussing the importance of learning manners when eating, but also further discussing examples and their application in direct situations.
Learning manners when eating is something that is very basic for someone who is invited to a banquet. Eating with manners shows that a person is not a careless person and really enjoys the food served to him as a form of respect.
Thus a review of how good manners when eating. For Sinaumed’s who want to learn about manners and other knowledge related to ethics, you can visit sinaumedia.com to get related books.
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Author: Pandu Akram
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