Dining in a social setting can be one of life's finest pleasures, where the wine flows as freely as the conversation. However, certain foods can leave you feeling awkward and, at worst, said dish ends up covering you or your companions. Etiquette expert William Hanson explains the proper way to eat.
SPAGHETTI
SPAGHETTI
Spaghetti can be a nightmare for diners and is best avoided in formal social situations...the one golden rule with pasta is never to cut it, an act of culinary terrorism in Italy, no less, according to William (pictured). This is eaten with a fork alone and never cut with a knife. The idea of using a spoon as well comes from the USA but is not practised in authentic Italian homes or upmarket British ones. Spaghetti can be messy, so avoid ordering this on a date or when dining with clients.
The good news is, at a formal dinner (or even a semi-formal soiree) spaghetti will not be served. When in Italy, never cut your pasta – doing so is considered an act of culinary terrorism and insult to the cook.
BANANA
If in doubt, go for the banana, says William: the fruit is easy to unwrap with a knife and fork
Fruit is served as part of the dessert course (dessert was traditionally the fruit course at the end of the meal, whereas today people confuse it with the sweet course). At state banquets, such as the recent one for Mexico at Buckingham Palace, fruit is still served as a palate cleanser.
A banana is always the easiest fruit to pick. Cut both ends off with dessert cutlery (very sharp), slice down the skin to unwrap, and then cut off slices and eat with a fork and knife.
LANGOUSTINE
Using a small fork upturned in the right hand, scoop out the white fleshy meat from the tail. Your left hand can be used to secure the shell as you daintily perform your excavation (a finger bowl should be provided). You may see some people pick up the animal to suckle the head – these people are to be treated with the greatest of social caution.
Use empty shells as would-be tweezers to help you pluck the flesh from other mussels, says William...and always make use of the finger bowl
MUSSELS
The most elegant method is to use a fork to loosen and consume the first mollusc within, before using the empty shell to tweeze out the other mussels, discarding redundant shells on a nearby plate.
A finger bowl should also be present, to the left of the setting. Dip one hand in at a time to wash away the grease.
OYSTERS
A skilled high-society habitué will know that these are really only eaten in months containing the letter R.
The upmarket way to eat is to simply tip the contents into the mouth from the shell, having loosened the contents beforehand with a fork.
An oyster fork is a Victorian middle-class invention and does nothing a normal fork cannot do. If an oyster fork is set, use it. If not, just use a normal small fork.
Scooping is a no-no, spearing is really the only way to go with the little green spheres
PEAS
Good hosts will never serve these at a formal dinner party, but if you find yourself confronted by petit pois or the like resist the urge to turn your fork over and scoop.
Instead, use the tines of the fork to spear a collection and transfer to the mouth. If mashed potato has been served, or something similar, use that as a ‘glue’.
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