FOOD NEWS
14 Fine Dining Rules That Should Be Broken
by LILY MCELVEEN
Breaking Bread
Tearing bread into bite-sized pieces that are buttered individually as you eat is a long-held tradition in fine dining and French culture as a way to share the loaf.
In fine dining, however, no one is sharing the bread on their plate and the rule of not using a knife to cut it should be abandoned.
Napkins
According to tradition, you should dab your mouth with the inside of a napkin and fold it in half to spare your dinner companions from the sight of messy smudges.
As long as you're using your napkin in the first place, you shouldn't be shamed for showing a few stains on the one part of the table setting designed for dabbing away messes.
Salt And Pepper
Some fine dining rules are simply baffling. One of the least logical examples is the insistence that the salt and pepper shakers be passed together, no matter what.
If someone requests the salt, you shouldn’t be condemned for giving them what they want. In a setting where courtesy is everything, listening and responding should be the priority.
Blowing On Food
Waiting for your food to cool if it's too hot to eat is a baffling rule for anyone who's experienced multiple courses served at intervals you don’t control.
As long as you do it quietly and at a safe distance from your dining companions' food, there is no reason for anyone to take offense to blowing on your food to cool it.
Drinking
There is no way to avoid mouth marks on your glass, so people who follow table etiquette minimize the issue by sipping from one section of the rim throughout the meal.
If you're already demonstrating impeccable conversational skills and employing the proper cutlery for each course, a few marks on your glass won't scandalize your fellow diners.