French Table MannersHello all, I've had some requests for french table manners, so I decided to interview my french teacher Julie, who is possibly the as french as the French can get.  French table setting French Table MannersVisual Example Formal Table SettingFirst of all, I asked her how to set the table for a french meal. I've shown her a picture of our universal formal table setting and she drew some circles on my sheet to show us how do the french dined. After that, I redrew and you can view it here.  The difference is basically how all the drinks are placed in front, with the place card on the top right hand corner. They don't drink tea as part of their dessert usually, so the teaspoon has been removed (obviously, if you want to serve tea or coffee at the end of the meal, you can simply add the tea spoon to the right hand side). The dessert fork has been replaced by a cheese knife, or a tiny cheese fork depending one what cheese is served. For the standard international formal table setting, you may go view Etiquette Proper Table Setting How To Set A Table Properly French Table Manners InterviewBackground on the French lady, Julie Julie is totally french and grew up in Paris. She was brought up in a household whose table setting and table manners have been traced back further down the lineage of her grandparents. They dine with fine china and real silver and the table is set formally every day. Table manners are very important in her family and so right down from her grandparents, her parents and her own family dinners, the table is set as formally as they would like, serving the minimum standard formal meal of aperitif (if they decided to have a glass of wine), Entre, plate principal, cheese, dessert/fruit and the optional coffee. Every meal is set beautifully and she remembers her parents or grandparents correcting her the in the ways of french table manners. I asked her whether the french table manners were similar to the continental ones around the world. In her heavily French-accented english, she explains that she does not know too much about american table manners so I told her to just described her french table manners. French Table MannersShe is less formal in her table setting at home when she dines but she has the basic four courses of entre, plate prinicipal, cheese and dessert every evening. At holidays and festive celebrations, the dinners are more elaborate and formal. At home, the table is set, and they dine using utensils from outside in as well. No elbows on the table, no slouching, no chewing with the mouth open or with any noise. She only lays the napkin on her lap when everyone is seated and only picks her fork/spoon to commence when the owner of the house commences with Bon apetit! No phones, laptops are to be on the table or to be even paid attention to because it is very rude. Even when you are done, you should not fold your arms and lean back. Of half fold your arm by putting it on the table. That's kind of true because it has a lazy attitude that looks bored and unappreciative of the effort of the sumptuous meal put together by the host. Salty food should always be served before the sweet foods, and sweet foods should be the last of the meal and in many cases, the highlight.  French Table Manners at a Restaurant My question: Do all french people dine in courses? Her answer: In her family yes, and in the very traditional families especially, and they serve full courses even at home and everyday. Another question: are you expected to order the full course at french restaurants? What if I'm not that hungry. If you go to a cafe, its fine you can order just a plate principal and dessert and no coffee, or perhaps, just entree and plate principal. She said you can eat whatever you want, depending on how hungry you are or your appetite for the menu. However if you go to a "chic" (in her own words) restaurant, it is considered quite rude if you only ordered an entre. It is expected that you will order the whole course. Going to the restaurant is somewhat like an experience. The good authentic ones place priority on quality and perfection so its always beautiful, quiet, and slow. You're expected to want to sit there for a long time. So don't go if you want a quick and fast dinner and unless you have prepared to pay. French Table MannersLast WordsSometimes, depending on what its served, you might find different utensils on the table, such as a escargot fork, a soup spoon, a shell cracker etc. You don't have to worry too much about what it is, as long as you use the silverware from outside in. If in doubt, just follow the person sitting in front of you, or perhaps the one whom you think will probably know best! There is no official "french table setting" as it seems simply because it depends on what its served but usually in the order as depicted above. In the world of fine dining, there are generally two types of settings recognized Continental style and American style, with american style only found in american. Like I said again, you don't have to think too much about what style you are eating in because the basic differences in settings are in the difference in order of foods served first, such as whether you'll be served the salad first or after the appetizer and things like that! Dine at more authentic french restaurants and enjoy the experience! You might also be interested in: Etiquette Proper Table Setting How To Set A Table Properly  Return to the top of French Table Manners Go back to homepage  Tags: French table manners, french etiquette, french manners, dinner table etiquette, basic table manners “A truly elegant taste is generally accompanied with excellency of heart.”
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