Find Yourself at a Formal Dining Table With a “B and D” Rule
If you’re not used to fine dining, it can be difficult to figure out what’s what. Plates and glasses will be all over the place, but this simple rule will help you know what’s yours.
Whether it’s a business dinner, a formal party, or a family gathering, a gourmet dinner will require more tableware than you would normally use in an entire week. This can be confusing, and if you don’t attend formal dinners on a regular basis, you will likely forget most of the basics. If you sit down at a table and don’t remember which plates and glasses are yours, Jim Schlexer of Inc. shares a simple rule:
… take your index or forefinger and touch it to the thumb of each hand to form two circles. Be sure to extend your fingers on both hands as if you were making an OK sign with each hand. But what else do you see when you look at your hands? How about the letter “b” in your left hand and the letter “d” in your right? … The letter “b” stands for bread, which means that your bread plate is on your left. The letter d stands for drink, which means your glass of water is on the right.
There is no more confusion now. It only takes a second and you can do it under the table if you’re worried people will notice. If so, now you have a great icebreaker! There are many rules and other nuances of etiquette associated with a formal dinner, but they are easy to learn.