The cutlery set is commonly used for Western-style dining, so when setting your table, it’s important to follow the etiquette of European and American cultures. Arranging the cutlery in a Vietnamese style may look odd and confuse your guests.
1. How to Set Up Cutlery Before a Meal
– Place the main course plate in the center of the setting. Above it, you’ll have the salad plate, and in the upper left corner, the bread plate goes.
– On the right side of the main plate, arrange the cutlery from nearest to farthest: knife, spoon, and soup spoon (if soup is being served). Ensure the knife blade faces the plate.
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– On the left side, you’ll place the forks in the following order from nearest to farthest: main fork, salad fork, and dessert fork.
– The butter knife goes above the bread plate, ready for spreading.
– In the upper right corner, set the glasses in this order from nearest to farthest: water glass, wine glass, and champagne flute.
– Avoid placing more than three utensils of the same material together.
2. How to Properly Place Cutlery After the Meal
– The position of your knife and fork on your plate signals to the waitstaff whether you’ve finished your meal. Refer to the image below to get it right.
– Typically, both English and American cultures indicate the end of a meal by placing their cutlery at the fork-knife junction, pointing towards 11-12 o’clock.
– When your plate is taken away, remember to ask for a new plate to be placed in the center. Then, place your knife and fork on it.
We hope that with these tips on cutlery arrangement, you can now confidently set up an elegant and proper dining table for your next Western-style dinner party.
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