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Coffee InformationHOW TO LAY DINNERWARE
by:
Suzanne von Drachenfels
All human history attests
That happiness for man,
The hungry sinner;
Since Eve ate apples
Much depends upon dinner.
Lord Byron, Don Juan
The dinner table is the heart of the home, a magic place wherever
moments are loved and memories made. Family events, anniversaries, and holidays are all celebrated at the table, a place wherever
children are taught, business is conducted, and romance is found, a setting that greets with a silent message: "Welcome. A place is prepared for you."
A myriad of traditions surround the service of meals, especially dinner. We dine in a selected
area and sit at a table increased
by the symmetrical alignment of dinnerware. Like a image slightly askew, an asymmetrical place setting creates subtle irritation, and to promote a harmonious relaxed ambience, tableware
is arranged directly opposite the ware on the different side of the table. Once
an odd number of folk are sitting
at a rectangular, square, or oval table, the odd-numbered place setting is aligned with the middle of the even-numbered place setting opposite. This is not to suggest that one set the table with a ruler in hand, only that the symmetrical alignment of tableware
please the eye.
The type of feeding
occasion determines wherever
to lay dinnerware. At a multi-course meal, notably a formal affair, each course is served one at a time, and tableware
is arranged in the center of the place setting. In formal dining, side dishes are not used, cups and saucers do not appear on the table, and demitasse is served in another room.
At an informal meal, the menu is simpler and the courses are either arranged on the table all at once or conferred one at a time as in formal service. A meal served all at once requires space, and side dishes, namely, dish
plate, bread-and-butter plate, and fruit saucer, are arranged to the left of the cover. The left-handed person reverses the placement. Why are side dishes placed opposite the hand with which one eats? Because the placement of ware near the "eating" hand is awkward to manipulate and does the dishes too close for comfort.
The placement of the cup and saucer is several for institution and family dining. Because the majority of folk are right-handed, at a institution occasion the cup and saucer are placed on the right side, even as for a left-handed person; this placement promotes a symmetrical table setting. The cup and saucer are arranged to the right of the outside piece of flatware. However, at a family meal, aesthetics are not as important as comfort, and commonsensical dictates seating the left-handed person at the end of the table wherever
the cup and saucer are placed on the left (even tho'
the different cups and saucers are on the right).
When hot beverages are served during a meal, such as coffee at breakfast or tea at lunch, the cup and saucer are arranged on the table initially. But if hot beverages are served at the end of a meal, such as after dessert, the cup and saucer are brought to the table following the last course.
Here are several guidelines for the alignment of dinnerware.
• Large plates, such as the dinner plate and dejeuner plate, are arranged just about 1 inch in from the edge of the table. The exception is the service plate, a large
plate aligned flush with the edge of the table.
• Small plates, such as the dish
plate, fish plate, and afters plate, are arranged in the center of the cover, just about 2 inches in from the edge of the table.
• Cups and saucers are placed around 1 inch on the far side
the outer
piece of flatware. The top edge of the saucer is aligned with the top rim of the plate or bowl.
• Cup handles are featured in a four o'clock position for easy access.
• Soup bowl and soup cup handles are aligned parallel with the edge of the table.
• Bread-and-butter plates are arranged at the top left of the cover, commonly above the dinner fork, a placement that avoids overcrowding on the right side, wherever
the goblet and wine glass are placed.
• Elbow room requires a minimum of 15 inches between place settings, or around 24 inches from the center of one place setting to the middle of the next.
From the book, The Art of the Table: A Complete Manual to Table Setting, Table Manners, and Ware
by Suzanne von Drachenfels (Published by Simon and Schuster, Nov
2000; $40.00US/$59.00CAN; 0-684-84732-9) Copyright © 2000 Suzanne von Drachenfels
Just just about the author:
Suzanne von Drachenfels's passion for table things led her to a career as Work surface
Advisor to Fitz & Floyd, a maker of fine tableware
that has been used in the West Wing of the White House. As an expert on the table, she has traveled extensively to conduct seminars and appeared on local television morning shows throughout the United States. She lives on the Town
Dry land in California, wherever
she and her late husband, Baron Alexei von Drachenfels, have lived for many a years.
For much information, please visit www.tabletalk.org
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