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Indian Table Manners |
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- One should avoid touching nose, teeth and combing hair while dinning.
- Wait for others to start eating.
- Smoking: None should smoke while seated for the meal.
- Appreciation: After finishing your meal, express appreciation for the meal. You can perhaps say Thank you so much; it was a very tasty meal. And then wait for all to finish before leaving the table.
- End the meal properly. When a person has finished eating, the fork and the knife are placed diagonally crossed across the plate; this is the best way to inform the server that you have finished eating.
- Spitting: If there is something in the mouth, which can't be swallowed, quietly put it in a paper napkin and then continues. (E.g. bones, seeds, curry leaves, etc.). Avoid spitting anything out.
- Tablecloth: Remember that the tablecloth should be kept clean. Do not put bones or any other morsels on the table.
- Slow and Quiet: Chew small morsels food and swallow with the mouth closed. The only way to eat is slowly and quietly.
- Fork and Knife: It is best to order foods that can be eaten with a knife and a fork. Finger foods can be messy and are best left for informal dining.
- Hosts: Generally the head of the family or the host passes the meal down to the family, mostly done in counter clockwise movement around the table.
- Napkin: The best way to use a napkin is to place it on your lap, to catch crumbs or drips while eating food and should be kept back on the table neatly, after the meal is finished.
- "Please" and "Thank you": Say "Please" when asking people to pass you something and "Thank you" when you receive something. These are basic table manners.
- Posture: Sit up straight at the table, never lean backward, nor forward and also never let the elbows touch the table. This makes a good impression. When you are not eating, keep your hands on your lap or rest on the table.
- How to Behave at the Dining Table
- Table Manners play an important role in making a favorable impression from the Manners set for every aspect of social existence. They are visible signals of our behavior and upbringing and therefore essential to professional as well as personal success.
- Food is expected to be eaten with the right hand. Left hand can be used to pass the dishes.
- It is acceptable not to use cutlery for eating, as many foods - such as Indian breads and curry - are commonly eaten in this manner.
- Wash hands is a must as most Indian foods are primarily eaten by hand. Also, wash hands after eating the food. Usually, a finger bowl (with Luke warm water and lemon) is served to each person for rinsing fingers.
- In North India, when eating curry, the sauce must not be allowed to stain the fingers - only the fingertips are used. However, in South India, it is acceptable to use more of your hand.
- When chapatti, roti, or naan are served with the meal, it is acceptable and expected to use pieces of them to gather food and sop-up sauces and curries.
- It is considered inappropriate to use your fingers to share food from someone else's plate once you have started using your own. Instead, ask for a clean spoon to transfer the food from the common dish to your plate.
- It is not necessary to taste each and every dish prepared, but you must finish everything on your plate as it is considered respectful. For that reason, put only as much food on your plate as you can eat.
- As most of the Indian delicacies are eaten with the hands, it is necessary to make sure that one's drinking glass should not become messy.
- Do not leave the table until others have finished or the host requests you. If you must, ask permission from the host before leaving.
- South Indian meals are served on a banana leaf that has been cleaned with warm water. Vegetables are placed on the top half of the leaf, and rice, sweets, and snacks on the other half.
- The banana leaf should not be left open after finishing the meal. It should be folded in such a way that the top half closes over the bottom half. If the bottom half is folded over the top, it is usually considered disrespectful, as this is done only in solemn situations one hopes will not occur again, such as a death.
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