Latest "Dining Etiquette" Posts
September 12, 2011
I was married for 23 years and when I was first separated I felt very uncomfortable about dining alone. Just asking for a “table for one” –never mind sitting alone at the table—was enough to put me into a tizzy. I imagined everyone was looking at me . . . and feeling sorry for me because I was eating ALONE! Even if they weren’t looking, there was this feeling that they were.
In those days I opted to eat alone at home instead, but as I needed to travel more, I had just two choices: eat in a restaurant or go hungry! At times I would have been better off to go hungry. Sometimes I just felt so out of place.
May I Serve You?
I’ve discovered that restaurants typically take two approaches to single women, if it’s not business as usual. Either women alone are seated at a poor table, or they are treated extremely well.
In many restaurants, if you’re a woman dining alone and you ask for the table by the window–you’re certain to be told that it’s reserved. On those occasions when you discover one of those restaurants that DO treat solo diners well, you’ll find that they go out of their way to make you feel more comfortable–even bringing you the latest newspaper to read! (Now THIS is a place I’m telling my women friends about because that’s what we do – share information!)
Do’s and Do’s of Dining Alone
Here are a few do’s for dining alone to help ease any discomfort:
- Do call and make a reservation (even for one!). Request a table with a view of the room (not hidden away in a corner by the kitchen!)
- Do bring along your iPad (I do!) or Kindle. It’s a great time to read or write.
- Do dress up. Even though you’re not accompanied by a date, you can still show it off! It feels good to look good!
- From time to time it’s OK to look at other diners …. And even smile!
- Do leave your cell phone in the car or turned off in your handbag. Enjoy your own company. And let others around you enjoy their conversations without listening to you chatting on the phone. They say if you can’t have a romantic dinner by yourself than you can’t have one with someone else either!
- Eat slowly. Take your time and enjoy the evening. How often do you get uninterrupted reflection time?
The last piece of advice is this: “Remember the tip – and make it a good one.”
People that work in restaurants claim that men are better tippers. My friend Heather thinks women are just more practical. We can’t be swayed by a great set of legs! I think women are really just better at gauging how well wait staff are doing. If we tip well, we are fans, and we will tell everyone we know—probably for years and years!
Are you a woman who dines out alone? Do you have any tips you can share that will help others feel more comfortable? Share in the comments below!
Bon appétit!
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Posted by Margaret in Dining Etiquette and tagged dining etiquette, restaurant etiquette, women dining alone
September 2, 2011
What is the difference between wine tasting and wine drinking?
Wine tasting is conducted with the objective of discovering more about a particular wine, its wine maker, the area where the grapes were grown, and so on.
Wine drinking is what we do when we drink wine to enhance the foods we eat.
Whether you’re attending a wine tasting event or celebrating with friends over a meal at home, it’s important to know the basics of wine etiquette.
- Don’t wear scents or perfumes when attending a wine tasting. Perfumes can compromise what you can smell and learn about a wine.
- Ladies, remove lipstick (with a tissue, not a linen napkin) before tasting wine. The lipstick itself can affect the taste of the wine, plus removing it prevents having to scrub the edge of delicate wine glasses to clean them.
- Hold wine glasses by the stem, not the bowl. This allows you to view and swirl the wine properly. Additionally, the heat from your hands changes the temperature of the wine.
- If you’re tasting a range of wines, begin with light bodied wines and progress to full bodied wines.
- It is improper to voice your opinion about a wine while others are in the process of tasting. Best to walk away from other tasters before discussing the qualities of the wine you liked or disliked.
- If you are tasting wine in a restaurant, ask the wait staff to simply pour it.
- Use glasses of an adequate size to properly access the wines nuances.
- Serve wine at the temperatures recommended by industry standards for that particular type of wine.
- Many restaurants will allow you to taste a wine before you order it if you are buying by the glass. (The bottle is usually already open.)
- If your guests have consumed too much wine, don’t let them drive their cars.
- If you’re bringing wine as a gift for a dinner party, don’t expect to drink it that evening. The hostess has probably already selected wines that are good pairings with the food. Instead, present the wine as a gift for the hosts to share on another occasion.
“Wine is bottled poetry.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
photo credit: nessguide
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Posted by Margaret in Dining Etiquette and tagged wine etiquette
February 1, 2011
If you’ve ever snickered at people who swirl their wine incessantly, you won’t any longer.
Wine tasting is not the same as drinking it. To experience the true flavour of a wine–like a pro– slow down and pay attention to your senses of sight, smell, touch, as well as taste.
Remember – There are no right or wrong descriptions of how a wine tastes or smells. Everyone’s palate is unique.
Cheers!
- Swirl the glass and then hold it at a 45-degree angle above a white table cloth or white paper to determine its color.
- Place your nose over the top of wine glass after swirling and inhale deeply to determine the nose of the wine. Take your time; there’s no need to rush.
- Tip up the glass. Take a small mouthful of wine, breathing in through your mouth at the same time. Rotate the wine around your palate. Swallow. Stop. Wait at least 30 seconds. Take your time, then verbalize what you just experienced.
- Keep pace with the other tasters in your group. When they’re looking at the color, for example, also be looking at the color. When they’re exploring the nose and the aroma, also explore the nose and the aroma. When they’re tasting, taste. You get the idea.
- Do not criticize, ridicule, judge, or reject how someone else interprets wine. Wine tasting is subjective; there are no “rights” or “wrongs.”
- If you must have another beverage with you, bring only water. No sodas, coffee, tea, juice, and so on.
- Always take notes of what you discover on the nose and taste, and what other people discover as well. Compare notes and learn from each other.
- Have fun!
Don’t be surprised to hear some very odd, but genuine, taste and aroma descriptors. They include things like: horsey, mossy, flabby, stewed, yeasty, candied, barnyard, baked, jammy, and zippy. Check out a full list of wine descriptors here.
Cheers!
photo credit: Dave Morrison
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Posted by Margaret Page in Dining Etiquette and tagged wine descriptors, wine tasting etiquette, wine tasting tips
I was married for 23 years and when I was first separated I felt very uncomfortable about dining alone. Just asking for a “table for one” –never mind sitting alone at the table—was enough to put me into a tizzy. I imagined everyone was looking at me . . . and feeling sorry for me because I was eating ALONE! Even if they weren’t looking, there was this feeling that they were.
