HG Entertains
Why Manners Matter
Rules and Tools to Perfect Your Manners
In a world where many consider manners unimportant and where etiquette is synonymous with snobbery or even a right-wing conspiracy, we think good manners are simply about being gracious. They can improve confidence and communication, avert social confusion, and just make life a little easier and sweeter. We all benefit when the people around us are more respectful and compassionate to one another. When you know the rules, there is no awkwardness about how things should be done, dignity is preserved and the focus can be on good food and conversation.
The Golden Rule
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Good manners are a reflection of the Golden Rule: if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. Psychology Today reported that when someone is nice towards another person, the recipient’s brain releases oxytocin, causing him or her to respond with kindness. You can’t argue with that.
Manners vs. Etiquette
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The word etiquette is a French phrase meaning ticket of admission, which dates back to the 17th Century and the strict code of aristocratic conduct devised in the court of Louis XIV. The word has received? a bad rap in recent years and is often equated with the right school, or a set of stuffy social rules that exclude those who aren't in the know. While there is some truth to this, we think there's more to it than that. For us etiquette is like an add-on, a bonus to general good manners: it provides courtesy for those you're dining with and helps make everyone feel comfortable. Priceless, ageless, and above all, classless.
The Corporate Advantage
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Nowadays it’s recognized that good manners is good business practice. Rules may change from country to country and society to society, but there’s a growing international business etiquette that many are paying attention to in order to secure a job or impress a client. Your behavior indicates how well you play with others – do you wait until everyone has been served before you start to eat? Do you ask for people to pass the butter rather for reaching across the table for it? Do you chew with your mouth open? Your table manners indicate your level of respect, sensitivity and awareness of others – traits employers value.
Building Blocks
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 Children with good manners have a powerful advantage. They make friends easier, get along better with their teachers, and eventually make better employees and spouses. When you expose a child to good manners, you’re teaching them that when they respect others they respect themselves, and that builds confidence. You’re also teaching them that politeness is a sign of strength, not weakness. Apart from reading, writing and math, consider it another essential subject. They’ll thank you when they’re older when they aren’t embarrassed about which cutlery to use at a job interview, dinner party or restaurant.
Top 10 Rules of Thumb
1. Wait until everyone has been served before you begin to eat.
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2. Don’t talk with your mouth full. Ever.
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3. Eat slowly.
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4. The bread plate is on your left.
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5. Don’t butter your bread in the air or swing your cutlery to make a point.
6. Don’t use your fingers, unless it’s pizza, corn on the cob or ribs. In Europe, it’s customary to eat asparagus as a starter with your fingers.
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7. Don’t want to use a knife? That’s ok, as long as it’s pasta or risotto.
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8. We were brought up with a strict no elbows on the table rule but admit to being a bit more relaxed about it when caught up in deep conversation with good friends.
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9. When you’re given a spoon AND fork for dessert, use the fork to help push food onto your spoon. It’s meant to help you with more awkward desserts like pavlovas or pies.
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10. When you’re finished your meal, place your knife and fork on the diagonal. Think of it as a clock, and sit them anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. This tells the host or waiter you’re finished.
