A good meal consists of three things: good food, good company and good table manners. While it may not be necessary to fully memorise the different types of dining utensils or rules of seating involved in fine dining – it is crucial to at least possess the knowledge of handling food in the right way. Here, we highlight five types of food that are often consumed in incorrect manner.
Pasta
To eat spaghetti, separate a few strands with your fork. Then, gently twirled the pasta against the bottom of the plate. Refrain from twirling the pasta against a spoon. To do so only suggests that you’re an amateur or worse, someone with bad table manner. It is also important to not cut the strands into smaller sections. Smaller pasta such as penne or gnocchi is eaten with a fork.
Sushi
When eating sushi, always remember that the aim is to dip your sushi into soy sauce and not soak them in it. Turn the sushi over, so that only the fish part comes in contact with the soy sauce and not the rice. If you’re having trouble with chopsticks, it is also perfectly acceptable to pick up sushi with fingers. Unless the piece is too large for one bite, sushi should be eaten as a whole.
Pizza
Use your fingers to pick up the wider end of the pizza and gently fold it inward. This helps to trap any loose toppings and doubles the amount of pizza you can eat in one bite. The fold also helps to drain off unwanted grease from the pizza as well.
Shish Kebab
Yes, appearance wise, it looks just like satay. But shish kebab is not supposed to be eaten the same way like the latter. Biting the meat straight from the skewer is a big no-no. Hold the top of the skewer with one hand. Then with the other hand, use your fork to push each meat and vegetable onto your plate. Place the emptied skewer on the edge of your plate.
Rice
Eating rice with one’s hand is definitely harder than it looks. To start off, only use your right hand. It is considered rude to be caught handling rice with left hand. Use your fingers to “knead” small amount of rice and gently thrust it into your mouth with thumb. Never involve the usage of palm, for it conveys uncouthness. It goes without saying that stuffing the entire fist into your mouth is a definite no-no!
