If You Set the Table Correctly:Youll be sure you have the dishes you need.Your table will look nice.Your family will know you care about them.

Lets Get StartedYou Will Need:

As you set a table you are guided by rules. You may be thinking that the rules were made to torture you, but actually they were developed to make things easier.

The dinner plate should be placed about 1 inch from the edge of the table. Do the same for each place setting.

Your knife is always used in your right hand so place it at the right of the plate (make sense?).The blade should be toward the plate for safetys sake.

Cutting your meat will likely be the first thing you do. You do this with your left hand so place the fork at the left.

The spoon is always used in your right hand so place it at the right (are you catching on?)

Sometimes you have more than one of an item. Place the one that should be used first on the outside.

The napkin goes to the left of forks. Do not place it under the forks as you will need to handle it first. The first thing you do when you begin to eat is place the napkin in your lap.

The glass is placed directly above the knife tip.

The cup and saucer are placed as shown. Note that the handle of the cup is pointing toward 3:00 oclock.

There are two acceptable ways to handle a salad plate. It may be placed on the plate. In this case, the salad is eaten before the main course. The plate under it is now called a service plate or charger.

If the salad is to be eaten with the meal, you place it above the fork. This might also be called a bread and butter plate. The knife is used to butter bread.

Once you use a piece of flatware it is never placed back on the table. It should rest on your plate as shown.

When you finish eating you should position the flatware as shown. This assumes that the spoon was not used.

You do not need to set pieces that will not be needed. Do keep everything in its assigned spot.

You dont need to own fancy dishes to set a pretty table. Even paper products can make a good impression!

There are two ways to set a table:Formal is what you just learned.Informal means you bend some rules but still make each place setting look nice and each one is identifcal.

The EndBon Appetite!!!EndShow